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Blogs » Politics » How Serious is Xi on Corruption?

How Serious is Xi on Corruption?

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 10:38 PM PST

Since took office as the General Secretary of the Communist Party, he has preserved his image as an iron fist. On Monday, Xi chaired a Politburo meeting to reiterate his resolution to clear out "unqualified" members from the Party. From Zhuang Pinghui at South China Morning Post:

A statement issued by the meeting, reported by CCTV, said some party organs were not strict when enlisting members and the quality of new recruits needed to be looked at. Meanwhile, some party members were corrupt and not disciplined.

[...] "The overall number of party members should be controlled, and the membership structure and quality should be optimised in order to let them play their role," the statement said.

[...] "Unqualified party members will be handled in a timely manner and the management of floating party members, those who do not work or live in places where their membership is registered and cannot regularly attend party activities, should be strengthened," the statement said.

Following the statement, some Chinese political watchers  are calling for stricter Party recruitment standards for new members and harsher punishment for corrupt officials. From Yang Jinghao at :

Cai Xia, a professor of Party building with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, told the Global Times that the meeting showed that the Party leadership has fully realized the problems existing among Party members and its determination to administer the Party strictly.

[...] Cai Zhiqiang, a professor of Party building with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said the CPC's large size had inevitably brought many management challenges for the Party, considering the increasingly complicated domestic and international situations and diversified values and interests in the new era.

[...] "The punishment of unqualified members should also be strictly in line with the Party regulations," said Cai Zhiqiang. In May 2012, 102 Party members were expelled for poor work performances or violations of family planning policy. The cleanout was regarded as a landmark example of Party membership adjustment.

Just this week, yet another corruption investigation of a high-ranking official, Li Jianguo, once again demonstrates resolution on this issue from the top and a thirst for justice from the general public. From Celia Hatton at BBC:

Mr Li, who serves as vice chairman of China's parliament, reportedly engineered the promotion of his nephew to a plum government position.

[...] Just last week, Mr Xi promised he would battle both "tigers" and "flies", indicating that officials at all ranks were under scrutiny.

Li Xinde, an influential citizen journalist, was the first person to interview the whistleblower exposing Li Jianguo's high-flying nephew. The fact that this case has been picked up by the authorities, he says, shows that things are changing in China.

[...] All evidence, he says, that individual citizens are no longer working alone to expose corruption on a case-by-case basis. Instead, there is new hope that the system as a whole is becoming more transparent.

See more on Xi Jinping and anti-corruption work via CDT.

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Nicholas Bequelin: Re-education Revisited

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 10:27 PM PST

In the New York Times, Human Rights Watch's Nicholas Bequelin argues that while reported reforms of the re-education through labor (laojiao) system are a sign of progress, the actual impact of any changes remains to be seen:

While the government has provided no details about what it intends to do, it is not likely that the re- archipelago — an estimated 350 labor camps with about 160,000 inmates — will be closed anytime soon. Presumably the camps will continue to hold inmates sentenced for crimes like drug abuse, prostitution and minor offenses.

But the proposed change could put an end to China's largest system of , a punishment imposed solely through an administrative decision, without any trial.

[...] Some have pointed out that is unlawful under the current Constitution and China's obligations as a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1998. They have advocated instead that the judiciary should set up special courts to handle minor offenses.

Regardless of which route is chosen, any improvements on paper might be quickly reversed in practice if not accompanied by more comprehensive legal reforms. After China abolished the of "counterrevolution" in 1997, in what was then hailed as a major advance, the only real change proved to be that political offenders were sentenced under "state security" crimes instead.

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Photo: Chinese New Year decorations for sale in Jing’an district, Shanghai, by Remko Tanis

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 09:58 PM PST

Chinese New Year decorations for sale in Jing'an district, Shanghai

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Survey of China's 24 most corrupt officials in 2012

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 08:14 PM PST

Barry van Wyk from DANWEI highlighted a survey conducted by the Crisis Management Research Center at Renmin University which looked into 24 cases of corruption that became public knowledge on the Chinese Internet in 2012. The objective of the survey is to generate some trends and patterns in corrupt behavior among government officials in China.

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China: Air Pollution in Major Cities

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 08:09 PM PST

Jacky Huang from China Hush translated a local media feature on the problem of air pollution in major Chinese cities. According to a report published by National environmental analysis of the People's Republic of China:

only 1% of China's 500 largest cities meet the recommended standard set up by WHO. Among the ten most polluted cities in the world, seven are in China.

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China’s Homesick Migrant Workers Find Art — and a Community — to Call Their Own

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 08:40 PM PST

Players at the 2013 Migrant Workers' Gala. (Ning Hui/Tea Leaf Nation)

Chen Mei (alias) is a 23-year-old girl from Shaanxi province. Most days from 8 o'clock in the morning until 9 o'clock at night, she has worked at a factory in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. Chen had lived a relatively isolated existence bereft of outside activities, until a grassroots non-profit organization called Suzhou Migrant Workers' Family built an activity room near her factory.

This small room attracted a number of talented workers. They read in the library and worked on making songs, poems, movies, and plays. Chen quickly joined the group and made new friends. When a similar NGO from Beijing called the Beijing Migrant Workers' Home said it was seeking performances for its 2013 Migrant Workers' Spring Festival Gala, Chen and her friends signed up immediately.

"We have had some quite original plays, but we needed something to match with the theme perfectly." Chen said. The theme of the show is "Home."

Zhang Yue (alias) is also a star in this group. She presented an original song at the first Migrant Workers' Spring Festival Gala in 2012 – also organized by Beijing Migrant Workers' Home – called "Moving." It talks about Zhang's need to move constantly, and her wish for a regular place to live. Chen and three other members of the Suzhou Migrant Worker's Family joined the performance, carried out with suitcases, boxes and the Chinese character "chai" (to tear down) as set pieces. A sample of the song's lyrics: "Guerilla warfare is my strategy; today I don't know where to live tomorrow."

On January 26, Chen performed alongside many other migrants at the Assembly Hall provided by the Central Committee of the Communist Young League. The show will air February 6 on Shaanxi Agricultural and Forest Satellite Television, Sohu.com, and China National Radio.

Famous China Central Television (CCTV) host Cui Yongyuan presided once again. Cui helped bring the gala to mainstream attention when he MC'ed the show in 2012, where it was first held at Pi Village outside the fifth ring road in capital Beijing, an area known to be a dense migrant workers' community. This year, the gala attracted much more attention and support from media, migrant workers' self-organized NGOs, rural cooperatives, and the public.

The gala may not have had the professional sheen of CCTV's official Chinese New Year gala, a slick production that falls on the eve of the Chinese lunar new year and is the world's most watched show. This gala's objective is to have migrant workers — and their children — standing onstage and expressing through performance their own experiences and hopes: a domestic worker who wants to be treated equally; a child who wishes to be with his mother or to go to school; an underground guitar singer's dream of owning a flat.

The Beijing Migrant Workers' Home has a clear objective. One of the group's projects is called the New Workers' Art Troupe, which gala staff director Wang Dezhe said is intended to "defend our rights through art." This is not as incongruous as it sounds. Recently, there have been several instances of migrant workers appealing to their employers for back pay using songs and plays. Long defined as a vulnerable group, migrant workers are not used to protect their rights using proper labor contracts or other means. Their artwork becomes a bargaining chip to gain support from the Chinese media and public.

But the Workers' Home also seeks to make art for posterity's sake. It has a museum project called the Migrant Laborer Art Museum. Its slogan: "Without our art, we have no history; without our history, we have no future."

For Ms. Chen, the performance was more literal. After the upcoming lunar new year, she will not return to Suzhou, although her next stop remains unclear. "Maybe I'll be in Beijing, but I really have no idea what to do," she said. The same is true for many migrant workers, whose ranks continue to swell. According to a National Bureau of Statistics survey in 2011, there were already more than 250 million of them.

If migrant workers have their way, this number will ultimately diminish — many of them dream of settling down. But for most of them, China's long-standing household registration, or "hukou," policy stands in the way, restricting social benefits for urban-dwellers still registered as rural residents. For them, building a "home" in cities they have devoted so much to is often an impossible mission.

During the 2013 gala, one performer, who plays as a pirated DVDs seller on the street for a living, performed a sketch in which he asked the audience:" I don't have family, land or anything left in the village. I need to stay in the city to survive. But can I have a home here better than a four square meter room?"

Sensitive Words: Warm, Sly, Fake

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 07:29 PM PST

As of January 29, the following search terms are blocked on Sina Weibo (not including the "search for user" function).

- (朱瑞峰): Chongqing blogger who uploaded a sex video of official Lei Zhengfu.
- 2 million outside of the system (体制外200万): In a meeting earlier this month, Beijing Vice Mayor Lu Wei said "the entire city's propaganda team includes 60,000 people in the system and over two million outside of the system."
- two million outside of the system (体制外两百万)
- go warm (去温) "Warm" is also the surname of (温家宝)
- President Sly (刁总): The "sly" (刁) looks like the character for Xi Jinping's surname (习).
- Chairman Sly (刁主席)
- The Jia family is not fake (贾不假): Immediately after last year's mysterious Ferrari crash in Beijing, a rumor spread that the victim was the son of Politburo Standing Committee member Jia Qinglin. Netizens alluded to the incident by quoting from the classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber: "The 'Chia' family is not 'chia,' a myth; white jade form the Halls; gold compose their horses!" (贾不假，白玉为堂金做马) (translation by H. Bencraft Joly). The family name of the book's hero, Jia Baoyu (贾 Jiǎ; Chia in Wade-Giles romanization) is homophonous with "fake" (假 jiǎ or chia). The crash victim turned out to be the son of , one of Hu Jintao's aides.
- white jade form the Halls; gold compose their horses (白玉为堂金做马)
- Mein Kampf (我的奋斗)
- Moon Moon Bird (月月鸟) : A "spelling" of 鹏 Péng, alluding to . See the October 31 edition of Sensitive Words.

All Chinese-language words are tested using simplified characters. The same terms in traditional characters occasionally return different results.

Browse all of CDT's collected in this bilingual Google spreadsheet.

CDT Chinese runs a project that crowd-sources filtered keywords on Sina  search. CDT independently tests the keywords before posting them, but some searches later become accessible again. We welcome readers to contribute to this project so that we can include the most up-to-date information. To add words, check out the form at the bottom of CDT Chinese's latest sensitive words post.

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Guangdong Economy Still On Top, For Now

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 06:21 PM PST

Senior officials are feeling the heat, according to Li Jing at The South China Morning Post, as they fear the province may lose its spot as China's top economic powerhouse:

In a panel discussion on Friday afternoon, Hu told the provincial legislative congress that the gross domestic product of province was catching up quickly with Guangdong, according to a China News Service report.

Hu said that whichever province earned the No1 ranking for growth would attract even more .

The comment came in stark contrast to Hu's predecessor, Wang Yang, who told local officials a year ago to focus more on industrial upgrades and social reform, while keeping a cool head about GDP.

Echoing Hu's remarks, the director of Guangdong's statistics bureau, Xing Xiaowei warned that Jiangsu, whose GDP expanded by 10.1 per cent in 2012, would overtake Guangdong in 2015 "if we do not accelerate our pace", the Guangdong party mouthpiece, Nanfang Daily, reported on Saturday.

Guangdong's GDP grew 10.2 percent in 2012, according to a government work report released last week, tops in the nation.

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Ministry of Truth: House Sisters and More

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 05:05 PM PST

The following instructions, issued to the media by central government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to these instructions as "Directives from the ."

Central Propaganda Department: Follow Xinhua wire copy in covering the " case." Do not sensationalize the story. Cease production of independent reports and commentary. (January 29, 2013)

中宣部：对"房姐事件"按新华社通稿刊播，不炒作，不再自行作其它报道评论。

, former vice president of Shenmu Rural Commercial Bank in Shaanxi Province, has used at least four household registration () identifications to purchase multiple properties in Beijing, Xi'an, and Shaanxi worth over one billion yuan (US$160 million). She is not to be confused with "," the daughter of former Zhengzhou Housing Administration Director Zhai Zhenfeng, who used two hukou to purchase 11 homes.

Central Propaganda Department: No media or websites are to recommend, discuss, or republish coverage of and the Transformation of China. (January 29, 2013)

中宣部：各媒体和网站对《邓小平时代》一书不推荐，不评论、不转载。

, professor emeritus of Harvard University, published a sweeping biography of Deng Xiaoping in 2011. Feng Keli's translation has just been published.

Central Propaganda Department: Strictly adhere to Xinhua wire copy in covering the Bo Xilai and incidents and related issues. No media or website is to independently produce any other form of report or comment, or to link to other material. (January 29, 2013)

中宣部：关于薄熙来，王立军事件及相关问题的报道严格按新华社通稿刊播，各媒体及网站不自行作其他任何形式的报道、打分，也不作链接回放。

Central Propaganda Department: The trial for the July 28 case will begin soon. If covering the story, all media are without exception to use wire copy provided by Xinhua or the Jiangsu provincial government. Do not send reporters to the scene of the incident or to the court. (January 29, 2013)

中宣部：江苏南通启东728案件近日将开庭审理，各媒体如作报道一律采取新华社通稿或江苏省提供的通稿，不派记者到事发地或庭审地采访。

CDT has collected the selections we translate here from a variety of sources and has checked them against official Chinese media reports to confirm their implementation.

Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. The original publication date on CDT Chinese is noted after the directives; the date given may indicate when the directive was leaked, rather than when it was issued. CDT does its utmost to verify dates and wording, but also takes precautions to protect the source.

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Little Change Expected Under New Tibet Governor

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 03:25 PM PST

With discontent in Tibet reaching a high point in 2012 as self-immolations surged, some people, including the , held hope that the new administration of Xi Jinping would impose kinder, gentler policies in the region. But a newly installed governor of the Tibet Autonomous Region appears prepared to continue the same policies as his predecessor. From Reuters:

Losang Gyaltsen, 55, was elected at the end of the annual meeting of Tibet's largely rubber stamp regional assembly, and replaces previous governor Padma Choling, according to an announcement by the official Xinhua news agency.

Losang Gyaltsen is a former mayor of Tibetan capital Lhasa and once taught Marxist theory, according to his official biography. His name is also spelled Losang Jamcan in English.

He reports to Tibet's top official, Communist Party chief Chen Quanguo, a position which traditionally has always been held by a Han Chinese rather than an ethnic Tibetan.

"He's rather hardline, but all officials at that level are the same," said prominent Tibetan writer Woeser. "There will be no real change in Tibet."

China Daily reported that Losang Gyaltsen will focus on the economic reform and development of Tibet , while also maintaining the CCP's hard line against the Dalai Lama and his supporters:

"Without reform and opening up, there will be no today's Tibet, nor the prosperity and development of tomorrow's Tibet," Losang Jamcan told reporters after his election.

He said the regional government will deepen reform and opening up for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

"Harmony and stability is an essential guarantee for Tibet's development and prosperity," he said. "We should cherish the harmonious and stable situation in our region in the same way that we cherish our very sight."

He urged maintaining vigilance in times of peace as well as taking a firm political stand and acting consistently to resolutely battling against the 14th Dalai Lama clique and unswervingly safeguarding the unification of the motherland and national unity.

Ethnic Tibetans, including many of those who self-immolate, have protested 's harsh stance against the Dalai Lama as well as economic development and cultural policies which, in their view, harm their communities. With self-immolations continuing this year, albeit at a slower pace than late 2012, the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile has asked Tibetans to refrain from celebrating the New Year next month. From Bloomberg:

"I request my fellow Tibetans to not celebrate Losar with our usual festivities," Lobsang Sangay, prime minister in the exiled administration, said in the statement referring to the region's new year festival. "Instead, when this year's holiday falls on February 11, I ask you to perform only the customary religious rituals like visiting temples and making offerings."

Tibetans say China is attacking their culture, religion and environment with policies that have moved thousands of ethnic Han Chinese into Tibet in the name of economic development.

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Education: A New Direction in Sino-US Relations

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 02:41 PM PST

Kurt Campbell, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, states in his article on Politico that China and the U.S. should encourage study abroad programs to strengthen ties between young people:

[...A]mid all of the challenges the U.S. and China face and the complex nature of our relationship, the 100,000 Strong Initiative brings a smile to the face of the most hardened interlocutor. The Initiative, launched by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2010, has a very important goal: to enhance the U.S.-China strategic relationship through . The U.S. and China have many tense areas of negotiation, but both sides agree that people-to-people exchanges are a win-win.

[...] I believe strongly in these goals and so does the secretary, who last week hosted an event to celebrate the creation of the 100,000 Strong Foundation, a new nonprofit, nonpartisan organization borne out of the 100,000 Strong Initiative she launched to generate greater demand, promote diversity and encourage support for programs to study in China and learn Mandarin here at home.

[...] And these two global powers cannot work together unless we understand each other. Currently, there are 10 times more Chinese studying in the U.S. than there are Americans studying in China. And there are 600 times more Chinese who study English than Americans who study Mandarin. The number of young Chinese who are knowledgeable about American politics and popular culture is far greater than the number of young Americans who have even the faintest familiarity with how the Chinese live, do business and govern their society.

We must diversify as well as expand the number of Americans who know about China. As with other essential skills for succeeding in the global economy, opportunities to learn about China must be made available to a cross section of young Americans from every background and walk of life.

See more on U.S. relations via CDT.

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Supporters Fight Execution of Domestic Violence Survivor

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 02:07 PM PST

The case against Li Yan, a woman who is on death row for killing her abusive husband, has sparked an outcry over her treatment and that of other survivors in China. The Guardian has the background of her case:

Supporters say a reprieve for Li Yan would send the message that authorities are serious about confronting domestic violence. The 41-year-old from Sichuan had repeatedly begged for protection from her spouse.

According to Amnesty International, Li's husband, Tan Yong, stubbed out cigarettes on her face, cut off part of her finger and locked her out on the balcony of their home in wintertime while she was only partially clothed.

She killed him in November 2010 by repeatedly hitting him over the head with an airgun to stop him from beating her. More than 100 legal experts and academics have signed an open letter calling for her sentence to be commuted.

The supreme people's court has reportedly upheld Li's death sentence, but her lawyer, Guo Jianmei, a well-known women's rights advocate, said the defence team had not received formal notification. "Even if there is only a little hope, we want to fight for her to have a chance to live," she said. "She killed her husband in fear that her life was seriously threatened."

According to the South China Morning Post, more than 400 lawyers and women's rights activists have called for a re-examination of the case against Li Yan in a petition sent to the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate:

Teng Biao, director of China Against who launched the petition campaign, said they were calling on the judiciary to re-examine the domestic violence that led to the killing and take it into full account in a new decision showing due respect for human life.

He said the death sentence was flawed because it failed to take account of complaints Li had lodged with the local women's federation and statements she gave to in the months before the killing, as well as testimony from her neighbours, which all pointed to her having been a victim of domestic violence since the couple married about two years prior to the fatal incident.

"She had no excuse to kill her husband, but she's nothing like a cold-blooded killer who planned the killing," Teng said.

Human rights researcher Joshua Rosenzweig translated an article by lawyer Zhang Peihong in which he argued that there are sufficient legal grounds to reconsider Li's punishment.

Li's case has raised concerns about the criminal treatment of abused women who injure or kill their spouses in self-defense. The New York Times reports on the extent of the problem:

Women's jails are filled with women who have injured or killed abusive husbands, according to the Anti-Domestic Violence Network, citing studies by local women's federations and scholars. They account for 60 percent of inmates in one jail in Anshan, in Liaoning Province, and 80 percent of women serving heavy sentences in a jail in Fuzhou, in Fujian Province.

In a study by Xing Hongmei of China Women's University, of 121 female inmates in a Sichuan jail who were serving time for attacking or killing abusive partners, 71 were originally sentenced to life in prison or to death (sometimes commuted, delayed or overturned on appeal), and 28 more were sentenced to at least 10 years. This means more than 80 percent received the heaviest possible sentences for murder or bodily harm, the study said.

For months before she killed Mr. Tan, Ms. Li sought help from the authorities in Anyue County, in Sichuan Province, where they lived, her brother said.

"She telephoned the police in, I think, May 2010, after a beating, but they said it was an affair between married people and hung up," he said.

Women's rights advocates have long fought for a domestic violence law to protect abused women. With a draft law now in the works, 12,000 people have signed a petition to the National People's Congress which calls for transparency in the drafting process. From the New York Times blog:

Fed up with being excluded from the decision-making process, Chinese feminists not only want a law against domestic violence, they also want to know exactly what's going into it, in a new push for accountability from their opaque government. The petition, "Asking for Openness and in the Process of the Anti-Domestic Violence Law," spells that out.

Bai Fei, a university student from Shanghai, is one of three women behind the petition. Signatures were gathered online, the Yunnan Information News reported.

Ms. Bai grew up in a family where her father beat her mother. She wanted to know if the new law would help people like her mother, the newspaper wrote.

"When the law comes out, will my mother be able to get legal protection?" asked Ms. Bai. "What level of protection will the law afford her? If I can't know what's going into it, I won't feel at all safe."

Domestic violence was thrust into the national spotlight last year when the American wife of celebrity English teacher Li Yang posted gruesome photos on of her injuries from his abuse.

Read more about domestic violence in China.

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Chinese Web Erupts With Widespread Calls for Change as Beijing Endures Airpocalypse 2.0

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 10:47 AM PST

Beijing on January 19, with an Air Quality Index reading of 415. (©A/Flickr)

Beijingers are choking on their air — again. Just seventeen days after Chinese cyberspace erupted with complaints about pollution so bad that it was "beyond index," denizens of the Chinese capital awoke once again to a city blanketed with smog. Over the past 24 hours, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing has released readings showing an air quality index — which measures fine particulate matter particularly hazardous to the lungs — peaking at 526. Readings above 300 are considered "hazardous," and anything above 500 is literally off the charts, or "beyond index."

United we choke

Sina Weibo, China's most popular micro-blogging platform, has once again became a forum for citizens of all stripes to air their grievances. Among Sina's list of the ten "hottest" Weibo posts, four currently bemoan the state of Beijing's air, with each author representing a different slice of Chinese society.

Among them was a heartfelt cry from actress Song Dandan (@宋丹丹). She wrote, "I was born and raised in Beijing and have lived here for over 50 years. The flood of emigration and every other type of temptation were not enough to get me to leave this lovable city. Today, this thought keeps circling in my mind: 'Where will I go to spend my later years?'" Television host Zhang Quanling (@张泉灵), also in the top ten, went for humor. "I really don't understand people who smoke outdoors. They really don't know how to be thrifty! Right now in Beijing, you can smoke for free anywhere you go by taking two breaths of air," she wrote.

Weibo user Song Dandan shared this recent image of Beijing. (Via Weibo)

Financial columnist Ding Chenling (@丁辰灵) rose to second place when he posted an infographic discussing the origin of China's air pollution and comparing it to the United States. Ding commented, "China and the U.S. are the same [geographic] size; China has 100 million cars, the U.S. has 285 million. Why is China's air so bad? It's because of relaxed standards for low quality fuel. China's petrol has 500% of the sulfur content of U.S. fuel, and 1,500% the sulfur content of European fuel."

Anger and frustration at the quality of Beijing's air was not limited to bloggers of one political persuasion. Conservative commentator Hu Xijin (@胡锡进) complained,"I was just having lunch with the Pakistani ambassador to China in the Jingcheng building, on about the 50th floor. I pointed to the beautiful scene outside and said to the ambassador: Look at the strange picture that economic development paints — hazily enchanting."

Hu later added, "Chinese people should not tolerate and endure too much environmental pollution just for the sake of enrichment…in an age of globalization, this will add to the opportunities for conflict between China and other countries. Even if we may be the ultimate victors…it may not be enough to cover what we've lost in the present."

It's not us, it's you

A number of prominent Weibo users pointed a finger in the direction of China's government. Real estate developer Pan Shiyi (@潘石屹) started an online poll that reads more like a petition to Chinese authorities. It simply reads, "Call for legislation: Clean Air Bill." 98.8% of those responding have expressed support thus far.

Angel investor and widely-followed Weibo user Charles Xue (@薛蛮子)'s widely-read post was perhaps the most urgent. Xue wrote, "China's air pollution has already worsened to an intolerable point. I hope the Chinese assembly will take this opportunity to call a meeting, and put out a clean air bill. For every old person, for every child, for the health of every citizen, we need to control environmental pollution!"

While some Web users are pining for new legislation, others are thinking about smaller measures. The third-most trending Weibo hashtag is a discussion of whether Beijing traffic cops should be allowed to wear masks to protect themselves from the pungent air. Fang Lifen (@王利芬), Founder and CEO of Umiwi Technology, had another entrepreneurial idea:

On a morning stained with poison air, here's a suggestion: Aside from allowing the normal operation of public transportation, all other vehicles should be stopped, and the production of all [vehicles] with non-conforming emissions should also be stopped. Both the plebeians and the leading cadres (however important they may be) should be squeezed together on public transportation so public servants can get closer [to their constituents].

Market for Bear Bile Threatens Asian Population

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 08:34 AM PST

As six bears are rescued from illegal bear bile farms, the New York Times reports the continuing demand for bear bile is threatening the bear population in Asia. This comes amid growing public concern for animal rights:

Tigers, rhinos and elephants are notoriously poached to satisfy high demand in Asia for their parts, which are falsely assumed to have medicinal properties. Experts warn that sun bears and Asiatic black bears, known colloquially as "moon bears," are on a similar route to endangerment, although their plight draws less media attention. "No bears are extinct, but all Asian ones are threatened," said Chris Shepherd, a conservation biologist and deputy regional director of the wildlife group Traffic who is based in Malaysia.

Legal farming was conceived as a way of increasing the supply of bile to reduce the motivation for poaching wild bears, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. But there is no evidence that it has done so, it noted in a resolution passed last September, and there is concern among conservationists that it "may be detrimental."

The resolution also called on countries with legal bear farms to close down the illegal ones, to ensure that no wild bears are added to farms; to conduct research into bear bile substitutes (there are dozens of synthetic and herbal alternatives) and to conduct an independent peer-reviewed scientific analysis on whether farming protects wild bears.

Some groups argue that the increased supply of farmed bile has only exacerbated demand. "Because a surplus of bear bile is being produced, bile is used in many non-medical products, like bear bile wine, shampoo, toothpaste and face masks," Animals Asia says. Since bear farming began in China in the early 1980's, bear bile has been aggressively promoted as a cure-all remedy for problems like hangovers, the group added.

Despite the efforts to curb animal cruelty, China's zoos are now subject to scrutiny after several animal abuse cases caused by zoo visitors, from The Huffington Post:

A Jan. 19 report from a zoo in Shaoguan City alleges that a 27-year-old man climbed into an ostrich enclosure, then proceeded to bite the bird to death in front of onlookers. The man was later arrested and taken to the hospital, according to The Nanfang.

In early January, visitors to Hangzhou Zoo were caught on camera apparently pelting lions with snowballs.

Days later, zoo workers at the Rural Grand View Garden, located in Shenzen, discovered their crocodile pit had been filled with rocks and trash by visitors attempting to force the hibernating creatures to move. Spectators were also said to have hurled projectiles at the sleeping crocs, reports the Shenzen Evening News. The Nanfang reports most of the crocodiles in the enclosure died as a result.

"For cultural and economic reasons, awareness is one of those areas where China is still lagging the developed world," explained Global Post senior Hong Kong correspondent Benjamin Carlson.

After pictures of lions getting pelted with snowballs was put onto , netizens have responded to the abuses inflicted by zoo visitors, according to China Daily:

They were reposted almost 80,000 times, with thousands of comments left by angry Internet users criticizing the visitors' behavior.

One user, named "Sina Zhejiang", said in the post that as some visitors kept throwing snowballs at two lions, they had nowhere to hide and curled up in a corner, shaking.

But the manager said the zoo had no right to fine visitors who abused the animals. What they could do is to call for better treatment of these animals.

Mang Ping, professor with the Central Institute of Socialism, who has studied the welfare of zoo animals since 2003, said abuse of zoo animals by visitors or zookeepers was commonplace in China. But the law cannot protect zoo animals, because the definition on wild animals is not clear.

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Collective Protests in China and India: Unexpected Similarity?

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 08:40 AM PST

Memo #196

By Manjusha Nair – manjusha [at] nua.edu.sg

Collective protests against corruption and land grabs are widespread in both China and India. The official Chinese Academy of Social Sciences reported that the government spent $110 billion on containing these and related popular protests in 2011, more than the defense budget. Many argue that disruptive protests erupt because there are no effective institutional channels, such as the judiciary, for expressing grievances in China. However, in neighboring India, the world's biggest democracy where such channels do exist, people similarly express their discontent through disruptive protests.  Though not yet systematically counted, disruptions, both violent and non-violent, are an essential characteristic of Indian democracy.

The Chinese and Indian states respond to these protests in similar ways. Protests are tolerated. The states negotiate with the protestors, promise to redress the grievances that sparked the protests and punish the culprits responsible. Often these promises are not kept. The Wukan protestors in China who resisted expropriation in 2011 had not gotten their land back after one year, nor had the Bhatta-Parsaul protestors in India who fought against a similar land grab that same year. In both cases, the state had promised that land seized by local officials would be returned.

Why does the "authoritarian" Chinese state tolerate protestors? Why do the protests have to be disruptive in "democratic" India? Why are the promises of these states to protestors frequently not kept? These parallels suggest fundamental similarities in the ways that these states relate to ordinary citizens, beyond what is explained by political regime types. Both societies have undergone similar transformations in local governments, village autonomy and so on after the introduction of reforms favoring a bigger role for the market in the economy. These protests are a way to make sure that the state has the legitimacy to rule; the burden of claiming citizen rights is transferred to the people and the state maintains stability by giving out rewards piecemeal, while avoiding broad structural changes. Comparing these two situations brings into focus the similarities of governance in China and India, and goes beyond the frames of authoritarianism and democracy.

Manjusha Nair is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the National University of Singapore.

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Protesters in Bhatta-Parsaul Villages, Greater NOIDA, India, 2011 (Source: Press Trust of India)

Protesters in Wkan Village, Guangdong, China, 2011 (Source: Washington Post)

 

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Let’s Hear It For the Boys: Men Lift Luxury Market

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 08:32 AM PST

Despite the recent slowdown of retail sales of luxury items, such as jewelry, Chinese men are driving the rebound in the luxury market. Men now account for more than half of luxury goods spending in China, but some claim that men's spending differs from their female counterparts, from Reuters:

Companies such as Burberry Group Plc and LVMH which sell luxe clothing and accessories benefit from this gift-giving culture, and wealthy Chinese men's penchant for designer ware.

But they are also at risk of big sales swings because men are less likely than women to splurge on discretionary purchases in times of economic uncertainty, CLSA's research shows.

"Men are not prone to impulse shopping," said Mariana Kou, CLSA's consumer and  analyst in Hong Kong. "They tend to wait a little if the economy is pretty uncertain."

At the Gucci store in 's Wynn casino, four men clustered around a glass counter examining leather wallets, while seven other men browsed items such as the 6,000 patacas ($750) shoulder bags. Only two women were in the shop at the same time, while other customers queued up outside, waiting for security guards to let them in.

CDT previously reported on the growing presence of luxury brands, such as Prada, as well as the high street fashion brands vying for the Chinese market. The South China Morning Post reports PPR, which owns Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, are looking to expand its stakes in China's male market:

PPR, the French luxury and sportswear group headed by the billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, which owns the sportswear brand Puma as well as Gucci and YSL, bought a large stake last month in Qeelin, the Hong Kong jeweller founded by local designer Dennis Chan and the French entrepreneur Guillaume Brochard in 2004.

Qeelin has seven shops on the mainland, four in Hong Kong and three in Europe. PPR did not disclose its holding in Qeelin or what it paid for it.

Alexis Babeau, managing director of the luxury division at PPR, said the Paris-based conglomerate will focus on "making small and high-growth investments, which should offer synergies and avoid cannibalisation of our existing portfolio".

"The acquisition of the men's clothing label Brioni, which once dressed James Bond, has broadened our reach to tailor-made suits, representing our commitment to the market for male ," Babeau said.

Although foreign brands, such as Burberry and Louis Vuitton, have been profiting from China's fashion forward men, Chinese brands are struggling in the luxury market, from The People's Daily Online:

Established Shanghai brands should be offered financial aid from the government to ensure their survival. That was the message given to the city's top political advisory body over the weekend.

An earlier report by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences said just 10 percent of Shanghai's traditional brands are making a healthy profit. Roughly 70 percent are struggling, with the rest on the verge of bankruptcy.

Shanghai is home to many household brand names, including Three-gun underwear,Conch shirts and Maling food. In the 1980s and early 1990s, it was fashionable to be seen wearing Shanghai-made products. But as more overseas brands have arrived in China, local names have lost their place in the market.

"Foreign brands are much stronger, not only in financial strength but also many have aclear strategy," said Qi Xiaozhai, director of the Shanghai Commercial Economic Research Center. "They came into China with a Westernized look that was desired by many young Chinese."

Amid this spending trend, Chinese state media published an article by Colin Speakman, an economist and director of China Programs at CAPA International , warning against overspending, from China Daily:

In Western economies, the rainy day provision often comes from access to credit from unused credit card balances or equity withdrawal from housing assets. We know the dangers that uncontrolled access to credit can bring in the West, yet we see increasing marketing of credit cards in China to the younger generation. Caution is urged here.

Hence, China faces a difficult balancing act in transition. It remains important, in an era of apparently lower , to hold on to modestly paid jobs in the export sector where labor costs and controlling any significant appreciation of the yuan remain key factors.

If that is not done, multinationals will increasingly look to countries like Cambodia, Laos,Indonesia and Vietnam for lower costs. Yet, if more demand can be internalized within China, it would increase household income from employment in higher added value industries and the resulting higher incomes would help consumers to afford higher priced products – a virtuous cycle.

It makes more sense for China to increase consumer spending in the general market (as opposed to just the high-end market) to raise the living standards of the majority of workers.

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Chongqing Police Pressure Sex Video Whistleblower

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 02:37 AM PST

The blogger who released a sex video that brought down Chongqing official Lei Zhengfu last year has refused to hand over footage of other officials despite threats of prison time for withholding evidence. Following a late-night visit to his Beijing home by Beijing and Chongqing police on Sunday, Zhu Ruifeng spent seven hours in talks at a police station on Monday, but would not give up the material for fear of incriminating his source. From Chang Meng and Li Xiang at Global Times:

"I also turned down their demand for the original version of those already exposed clips, for the safety of the person from 's bureau who fed me the information," said Zhu, adding that he is not ready to publish the remaining evidence, as time is needed to authenticate them.

The negotiations came after Zhu claimed some local officials involved in the scandal haven't yet been netted and accused local police of a coverup and destroying evidence.

[…] , a Shanghai-based lawyer, told the Global Times there is no crime of withholding evidence, and that the process to compel Zhu to be a witness is not clear. The police have no right to forcibly request the evidence, he said.

The videos were recorded as part of an racket targeting a number of Chongqing officials, 11 of whom have now been dismissed as a result. Former Chongqing Party chief and his police chief reportedly covered up an earlier investigation into the case. While Zhu says that his source is associated with the Chongqing police, the police now claim that he may have obtained the videos from a member of the gang itself.

The Washington Post's Wang Juan highlighted Zhu's use of social media for protection:

Zhu's lawyer, Li, said he believed the policemen originally intended to detain Zhu when they tried to get into his house Sunday night but were forced to change their plan once Zhu's online posts for help and calls to Chinese and foreign media drew widespread attention.

[…] Before leaving his home for the police station on Monday, Zhu posted a picture online of a signed legal document. The document named several people he was officially authorizing as his and representatives and said that any confession or change of after he is imprisoned would likely be made under duress. Mindful of several recent high-profile cases in which detainees have been cut off entirely from the outside world and with their switched out for government-friendly ones, Zhu said in the document that the he named are the only ones he wants, "even if I later write a letter in blood asking for a change of ."

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End to Game Console Ban May Be in Sight

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 01:16 AM PST

China Daily's Shen Jingting reports rumblings within China's Ministry of Culture about a possible end to the 13-year ban on game consoles which have made Sony and Nintendo shares jump. The bureaucratic tangle surrounding the restrictions may, however, prove immovable.

Because of fears of the potential harm to the physical and mental development of the young, seven Chinese ministries collectively banned the […] sale and import of game consoles in China in 2000.

Major game console vendors across the world, including Microsoft Corp, Nintendo Co and Sony Corp, made several attempts but failed to find a way to enter the Chinese mainland market officially.

"We are reviewing the policy and have conducted some surveys and held discussions with other ministries on the possibility of opening up the game console market," a source from the , who asked not to be named, said.

"However, since the ban was issued by seven ministries more than a decade ago, we will need approval from all parties to lift it," the source said.

Inertia may be the best explanation for the ban's endurance when, despite occasional crackdowns, are not only tolerated by the government but heavily subsidized and used as propaganda outlets. Even the Ministry of Culture may not in fact support the change: according to Reuters, an official from the relevant department denied that an end to the ban was being considered.

Even so, China has not been a console-free zone. China Daily interviewed a veteran Gulou gray market vendor, while at Ars Technica, Kyle Orland described other cracks in the wall:

Despite the ban, many retailers and wholesalers have illegally imported legitimate consoles into China over the past decade. Console makers have found loopholes to get their products into the Chinese market as well. In 2003, Nintendo went through a local partner company to release the iQue, a controller-shaped device that plugged directly into the TV and played several downloadable Nintendo 64 games. The Nintendo DS has been available in the country as the "iQue DS" since 2005.

Sony released the PlayStation 2 in China in 2004 (after convincing the Japanese government that it wouldn't be used for missile guidance systems) but quickly withdrew the system after widespread piracy prevented the profit-generating game sales. Last November, Sony obtained a "Compulsory Certificate" to sell the PS3 in China through 2016, another hint that the anti-console policy may be weakening. Microsoft sells the Kinect in China, but mainly for use in scientific and medical research, not as a game controller.

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China: Campaign to Halt the Execution of a Woman Victim of Domestic Violence

Posted: 28 Jan 2013 10:14 PM PST

Amnesty International launched a campaign against the execution of a Chinese woman, Li Yan, who shot her husband to death in self-defense. Li had been abused by her husband since they were married in 2009.

Written by Oiwan Lam · comments (0)
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China: Land collapses in Guangzhou

Posted: 28 Jan 2013 10:00 PM PST

A 300 sq metres piece of land sank suddenly in Guangzhou Kangwang Road on 28 of January, dragging surrounding buildings underground. The 9 meters deep is near a subway construction site. Shanghaiist has collected a number of photos showing the collapsed site.

Written by Oiwan Lam · comments (0)
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