Archive for ‘Good news’

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05/03/2012

* Wukan village elects own committee – hint of Jasmin Spring?

Xinhua: “Thousands of people in south China’s village of Wukan went to polls Saturday to elect a new village committee, several months after staging massive protests over illegal land sales and other issues. The villagers cast their ballots at a voting center set up on a village school campus from 9 a.m. through 3 p.m. Saturday. The results are due late Saturday night. Twenty-two candidates delivered public speeches on Wednesday to woo votes. The village committee includes at most seven members, including a chief and two deputy chiefs. A 50-percent turnout is required to validate the election results, and winning candidates are required to take at least half of the votes. An additional election would be held Sunday if fewer than three people obtain the required number of votes. Saturday’s voting marked the last phase of a three-phase election that has resulted in the selection of an 11-member election committee and 109 village representatives thus far. Voters are required to show identification and obtain written authorization before they can cast their votes. The voter turnout was 81.4 percent Saturday, sustaining the high levels seen during the last two elections and indicating the villagers’ enthusiasm for more open and transparent direct elections. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)”

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2012-03/03/c_131444377.htm

Last year, Wukan defied authorities and there was a major stand-off with security forces surrounding the village as it protested against illegal land grabs by the local authority and the mysterious death of a protester in custody. Surprisingly, instead of a violent end, the authorities backed off.

This year it held it elections as usual, but with one major difference. It could choose who to vote for and not only those pre-selected by the Party. This may seem like a small thing. But, perhaps it could also be the opening of Pandora’s box and local elections may never be the same again in China. And, who knows, maybe there will be free elections for district and county level in due course. And, one day, free elections at national level. BUT, if you are a pro-democracy person, I do not recommend you holding your breath for such a day soon.

Posted in China alert, Democracy, Good news | 2 Comments »

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02/03/2012

* Chinese manufacturing continues to expand

China Daily: “Manufacturing bounced back to a five-month peak in February, supported by stronger exports, easing concerns about a possible contraction.

The purchasing managers’ index, an indicator of manufacturing activity, hit 51 last month, 0.5 points higher than January, the National Bureau of Statistics and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing revealed on Thursday.

It has stayed above the 50-point level for three consecutive months after it dropped to a 32-month low of 49 in November. A reading higher than 50 means expansion, while below 50 shows contraction.

“The continually increasing PMI proves the nation is undergoing an economic rebound,propped up by industrial production,” Zhang Liqun, a research fellow with the DevelopmentResearch Center of the State Council, said.”

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-03/02/content_14735838.htm

Fears of a ‘hard landing’ for the Chinese economy recedes. Good news for global economies!

Posted in China alert, Economics, Good news | Leave a Comment »

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02/03/2012

* China to boost local govt debt (of over USD 1.5 trillion) clean-up

China Daily: “China will boost the clean-up of thousands of millions of local government’s debt in 2012, so to guard against possible defaults that would hurt its banks, the country’s bankingregulator said Thursday.

The country will focus on cleaning up old loans made to local government financing vehicles(LGFV) while tightening new debt issues and raising cash to debt coverage ratios, China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) said on its website.

The CBRC will strictly control the use of LGFV loans, while giving priority to key projects that are under construction, it said. The regulator will also improve risk monitoring and reclassify LGFV loans to relieve pressure from banks.

Local government debts had risen to 10.72 trillion yuan (1.7 trillion US dollars) by the end of 2010, accounting for about 26.9 percent of China’s gross domestic product, according to data released by the National Audit Office.

Analysts fret that if a certain proportion of the loans have gone sour, it will push up non-performing loan ratios in the banking industry and threaten banks’ credit ratings.

Local governments typically invested the money they borrowed in building infrastructure. They also faced huge repayment pressure in 2011 and now also in 2012.”

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-03/02/content_14735361.htm

China is taking steps to rein in the extraordinary splurge it generated in the aftermath of the 2008-09 financial crisis by encouraging local government initiatives. It is primarily this LG debt that has caused China’s debt to GDP ratio to increase from less than 20% to over 40 % in two years.

Posted in China alert, Economics, Good news | Leave a Comment »

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01/03/2012

* Use of DNA to rescue kidnapped kids in China

China Daily: “The DNA database for missing children set up by the Ministry of Public Security has helped over 2,000 abducted kids return home, a Chinese official said Wednesday.

The ministry has created a DNA database of more than 20,000 blood samples from parents who have lost their children in an effort to help identify abducted children and fight against thecrime, according to Chen Shiqu, head of the ministry’s office for the crackdown on childabductions.

Since 2009, police have uncovered nearly 16,000 cases of women trafficking and 12,000 child abduction cases. Authorities rescued more than 19,000 abducted children and 35,000 women,Chen said. The police will keep on implementing the “zero tolerance” policy to the crime, and beef up efforts to crack down on child trafficking, he said.

Human trafficking is difficult to root out in China, partly as the conventions of “boys carrying o nthe family line” and “sons guaranteeing one’s old age” remain deeply rooted in the countryside.In many rural areas, couples with no offspring still tend to “buy” and adopt abducted children.”

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-03/01/content_14727447.htm

The high incidence of child abduction is a direct consequence of the one-child policy combined with the Chinese (and Indian) view that sons are ‘better’ than daughters. Boys are kidnapped for parents without a son and, sometimes, girls are kidnapped because of the growing awareness that there is a serious sex-ratio disparity that will later cause there to be fewer women than men for marriage purposes!  ;-(

Posted in China alert, Good news, Obsolete practices, Rule of law, Social & cultural | 1 Comment »

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01/03/2012

* Chinese vice premier urges equal access for disabled

Xinhua: “Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu has called for equal access for the country’s disabled people to participate in the social life and to enjoy the benefits of the country’s development.

Hui made the remarks at a conference on the work to assist the disabled here Wednesday.

Efforts should be made to narrow the gap in living standard between the disabled and the average people in the society, Hui said. He also called on the government to improve relevant policies to ensure and promote the employment situation for the disabled as well as to provide better education and cultural services for them.

The work to assist the disabled should be focused on those who live in the rural areas, Hui said.

He called on the officials in charge of the work to better understand the lives and works of the disabled, hear more carefully the voices of them and give more considerations of them. He also urged more preferential policies to support the disabled people.”

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-03/01/c_122773597.htm

This news is – to Western eyes – kind of “what’s new?”.  But in China, the disabled have been historically treated as an invisible blot on a household, a sort of divine pronouncement on something wrong/bad we did generations ago, a kind of karma even. So this is real enlightenment for China.

Posted in China alert, Culture, Good news | 1 Comment »

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29/02/2012

* Shanghai to spend $1.6b to curb air pollution

China Daily: “Shanghai will spend 10.3 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) on air pollution reduction over the next three years, local environmental protection authorities said Wednesday.

The amount represents a 40-percent increase over the amount spent over the last three years combined, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Environmental Protection said in a statement.

Shanghai will also begin using the PM2.5 air quality standard in June, a much stricter standard than the PM10 standard currently in place. The PM2.5 standard applies to fine particles thatare believed to pose greater health risks than larger particles.

Local environmental protection authorities will help coal-fired power plants cut emissions and help coal-fired boilers find clean energy sources, the statement said.

In addition, the city will implement the tighter National 5 vehicle emission standard, equivalent to the Euro 5 emission standard applied to passenger and light vehicles in EU member countries,in 2013 or 2014, it said.”

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-02/29/content_14723197.htm

Yet another piece of positive news about the environonment.

Posted in China alert, Ecology, Good news, Pollution | 1 Comment »

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28/02/2012

* Chinese naval escort squads to Somali waters escorted 4,411 vessels in three years

Xinhua: “Chinese naval escort squads to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters have completed 409 missions and escorted 4,411 Chinese and foreign vessels over the past three years.

To date, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has sent 10 batches of escort fleets with 25 vessels, 22 helicopters and more than 8,400 officers and soldiers to this area, Wu Shengli, commander of the PLA Navy, said at a forum on the escort missions held Wednesday.

The fleets have rescued 40 ships from pirates’ pursuits, taken care of eight vessels that were attacked and released by the pirates, and offered humanitarian aid to foreign vessels four times, Wu said.

The fleets also escorted four ships delivering humanitarian supplies for the World Food Programme and provided adequate protection to the ships and the crewmembers, Wu said.”

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-01/11/c_131355296.htm

China has been a strong contributor to UN forces, mainly in infantry terms. Now it is contributing its share in naval terms. Slowly, but surely, China is taking up its role as the world’s number 2 power.

Only in one area it will stand back, and that is in not interfering in internal affairs or ‘regime change’, despite criticisms from around the world – such as wrt to Syria, Iran, North Korea and Zimbabwe. It wants the world to respect its internal affairs such as Tibet and Xinjiang ; so it practices what it preaches.

Posted in China alert, Good news, Military | Leave a Comment »

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28/02/2012

* Good news for the world – China aims to cut industrial energy consumption.

China Daily: “China aims to cut its energy consumption per unit of industrial value-added output by21 percent during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), the Ministry of Industry andInformation Technology said Monday.

China is expected to save the equivalent of 670 million tons of coal during the five years,according to the country’s industrial energy conservation plan for the 2011-2015 period postedon the ministry’s website.

The plan also sets detailed targets for cuts by several energy-intensive sectors. The steel,nonferrous, petrochemical and electronics industries are required to reduce their energy useper unit of value-added output by 18 percent from 2010.

The chemical engineering, building materials and textile sectors must cut their energyconsumption per unit of output by 20 percent, while the machinery industry should target a 22-percent fall in energy use per unit of output, according to the plan.

The government has adopted a slew of measures to promote energy savings and emissionreductions and to ease its increasing thirst for energy, including phasing out polluting industriesand building energy-saving buildings.”

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-02/27/content_14704395.htm

As I commented elsewhere, China seems to have decided that the Year of the Dragon (c2012) is the year it will crackdown on corruption, migrants’ and individual rights, pollution and other environmental issues.

Posted in China alert, Ecology, Good news | Leave a Comment »

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20/02/2012

* China offers to broker Palestine-Israel talks

Xinhua: “Chinese Middle East envoy Wu Sike said Sunday that China is willing to play a constructive role in bringing Israel and the Palestinians back to peace negotiations.

Wu, on a visit to the region, met with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Yitzhak Molcho, head of Israel’s negotiating team to the Amman exploratory talks with Palestinians earlier this year.

Wu noted that Israeli-Palestinian peace process should remain the focus in the Middle East, despite latest changes of international or regional situation.

China welcomes and supports recent meetings between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority, in an effort to restart long- stalled talks, the Chinese envoy said, adding that his government hopes both sides show enough flexibility and create a favorable environment to resume peace negotiations.

Wu also discussed Syrian issue with Lieberman. Negotiation was the only way to solve the crisis in the Middle East, he noted.”

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-02/21/c_131421297.htm

Posted in China alert, GeoPolitics, Good news | Leave a Comment »

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09/02/2012

* Chinese vice premier urges harsh punishments for food safety violations

Xinhua: “Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday called for strict and harsh punishments against food safety violations and urged strengthened supervision to ensure food safety.

Li, also head of the food safety commission under the State Council, or China’s cabinet, told participants at a plenary meeting of the commission that authorities should take a pro-active approach to deter violations.

Prominent problems that threaten food safety have not been fundamentally rooted up, and China still faces a grave situation in ensuring its food safety, he said at the meeting.

China will continue its heavy-handed measures against criminal offenses in food scandals and seek to establish a long-term mechanism to check food safety in 2012, Li said at the meeting, during which an agenda for the priorities of China’s annual food safety work was reviewed.”

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-02/08/c_131399200.htm

Li Keqiang is the expected Premier-to-be when the top two posts change hands late this year/early next year in the Chinese decennial handover. For more on this go to http://chovanec.wordpress.com/2011/05/08/primer-on-chinas-leadership-transition/#comment-4286

Posted in China alert, corruption, Good news, Rule of law | 1 Comment »

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