Culture | CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

28/12/2013

BBC News – China: More than 500 resign over election fraud

More than 500 municipal lawmakers in one Chinese province have stood down following an electoral fraud scandal, according to state media.

A teller counts Chinese yuan notes

The 512 officials resigned after accepting bribes from 56 members of the provincial assembly to elect them to their posts, Xinhua news agency said.

The 56 disgraced lawmakers for central Hunan Province were also dismissed.

President Xi Jinping has vowed to fight corruption – warning it could topple the Communist Party.

\’Vile impact\’

Municipal officials have the power to appoint representatives to the local People\’s Congress, the provincial parliament that rubber-stamps decisions.

Local authorities dismissed 56 representatives of the 763-strong Hunan People\’s Congress for being \”elected by bribery\”, state television channel CCTV said on its Twitter account.

An initial investigation revealed that 110m yuan ($18.1m, £11m) was offered in bribes to lawmakers and staff in the province\’s second city of Hengyang, Xinhua reported, citing a Hunan government statement.

\”The fraud, involving such a huge number of lawmakers and a large amount of money, is serious in nature and has a vile impact,\” Xinhua quoted the statement as saying.

\”This is a challenge to China\’s system of people\’s congresses, socialist democracy, law and Party discipline,\” it said.

It named Tong Mingqian, the former Communist Party chief of Hengyang, as being \”directly responsible\” for the election scandal.

President Xi has launched an anti-corruption campaign, pledging to target both \”tigers and flies\” – high and low ranking officials in the government.

There have been bans on new government buildings and lavish banquets, as Mr Xi demands officials cut down on waste and extravagance.

via BBC News – China: More than 500 resign over election fraud.

Posted in China alert, corruption, Politics | 1 Comment »

Tags: China, Communist Party, communist party of china, Congress, electoral fraud scandal, Hunan, Hunan Province, lawmakers, President Xi Jinping, Xi JinPing

24/12/2013

China rules private clubs off-limits for party officials | Reuters

China\’s ruling Communist Party has banned officials from belonging to or visiting private clubs, saying they are often used as venues for illicit deals or sexual liaisons, in the latest move to stamp out pervasive corruption.

President Xi Jinping has pursued an aggressive drive against corruption since coming to power, vowing to pursue high-flying \”tigers\” as well as lowly \”flies\”, warning that the problem is so serious it could threaten the party\’s power.

He has already ordered crackdowns on everything from banquets to funeral arrangements, and has now turned his attention to private clubs, which have proliferated in Chinese cities, ostensibly offering a quiet place for meetings or socializing.

via China rules private clubs off-limits for party officials | Reuters.

Posted in austerity, China alert, corruption, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Beijing, China, Communist Party, communist party of china, Communists, officials, pervasive corruption, politics, President Xi Jinping, private clubs, sexual liaisons, Xi JinPing

21/12/2013

Top Chinese Security Official Investigated in Corruption Inquiry – NYTimes.com

It appears that no one is safe from investigations.

“One of China’s top security officials is being investigated by the Communist Party for “suspected serious law and discipline violations,” according to Xinhua, the state news agency.

The report said the official, Li Dongsheng, a vice minister of public security, is the subject of an inquiry by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which is the party’s internal anti-corruption investigation agency. The Xinhua report, which appeared Friday, also said the agency had noted that Mr. Li was vice head of a central leading group for the prevention and handling of cult-related issues.

The Xinhua report was brief and did not give further details. Mr. Li has held his vice minister post since 2009, according to an official biographical outline. It was his first job within the security apparatus. Before that, he served in various party propaganda posts and worked at China Central Television, the state television network. He graduated in 1978 from Fudan University in Shanghai after studying journalism, and he is from Shandong Province in eastern China.”

via Top Chinese Security Official Investigated in Corruption Inquiry – NYTimes.com.

Posted in China alert, corruption, Internal politics, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China, China Central Television, Communist Party, communist party of china, Fudan University, security officials, Shanghai, vice minister of public security

19/12/2013

China’s Lunar Rover Litters, Writes Name in Bay of Rainbows | Ministry of Harmony

Note 1: The Ministry of Harmony (Miniharm) is dedicated to spreading the harmony enjoyed by the subjects of the People’s Republic of China to the world, whether you like it or not.

In accordance with state soft power mandates, Miniharm offers pure, uncut truth that has been carefully screened by the relevant departments within the propaganda apparatus. Our motto is: “All the news that has been deemed fit to print.” Ministry of Harmony.

Note 2: The Ministry of Harmony is a website dedicated to satire.

“Just days after Jade Rabbit’s historic moon landing, incriminating photos have surfaced which show China’s rover littering and writing its name in the Bay of Rainbows, reigniting an old debate about the behavior of Chinese tourists abroad.

Newly released photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope clearly show the rover using tire tracks to write “Jade Rabbit was here” in Chinese characters across the lunar basin. Other photos show a Hansel-and-Gretel trail of food wrappers and cigarette butts behind the six-wheeled vehicle.

“Why does this happen every time Chinese people go somewhere new?” asked one user on Weibo. “When will we Chinese be able to travel without embarrassing ourselves?”

The Chang’e-3 lander has also been the target of criticism for discarding its landing apparatus carelessly in the basin.

“The images it has uploaded so far consist primarily of selfies.”

“This family of idiots can’t even be bothered to pick up after themselves,” fumed another user. “Next time, they should just stay on Earth.”

Moreover, Jade Rabbit has shown a complete lack of interest in understanding its new surroundings, zipping from one crater to another without so much as examining the geological origin of the impacts.

The rover has, however, been flooding its WeChat feed with pictures from the moon, according to sources close to the machine.

“It definitely has been taking pictures,” said Guo Jutian, a mission specialist with the China National Space Administration. “But not of anything meaningful. The images it has uploaded so far consist primarily of selfies.”

More damningly, the rover was seen chipping off parts of a billion-year-old rock face and hiding the artifacts inside its chassis, ostensibly to analyze their chemical composition.

“After all, the moon is one of the only places Chinese citizens can travel to without a visa.”

“This kind of behavior is utterly unacceptable,” Guo said. “Jade Rabbit is causing the entire Chinese people to lose face.”

But gauche behavior on the part of lunar rovers is not unique to China. The Soviet Union’s Lunokhod 1, the first rover to land on the moon, was infamous for its aggressive personality and propensity to binge drink. America’s Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle, on the other hand, was much larger and heavier than its Chinese counterpart.

Though the Chinese public has been quick to chide Jade Rabbit, there has been no official response from lunar authorities. Zhang Jun, who heads a large travel company in Beijing, believes that it is in the satellite’s best interest to attract more Chinese visitors.

“They realize there’s a lot of revenue potential there,” he said. “After all, the moon is one of the only places Chinese citizens can travel to without a visa.”

For its part, Jade Rabbit seems to be enjoying its three-month mission. At press time, it was busy scooting around, looking for the nearest Chinese restaurant.”

via China’s Lunar Rover Litters, Writes Name in Bay of Rainbows |

Posted in Aerospace, China alert, Culture, Economics, Politics, Technology, Tourism | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Beijing, China, China National Space Administration, Chinese characters, Hubble Space Telescope, Jade Rabbit, Moon, Moon rabbit

18/12/2013

China’s Ownership Society, Where Success Means Having Stuff – Businessweek

This article confirms my views about the main characteristics of Chinese ‘mindset’, namely: materialistic, pragmatic and down-to-earth. See – https://chindia-alert.org/social-cultural-diff/chinese-mindset/

“Chinese friends are often puzzled that I chose to come to Beijing as a journalist. It’s not that they aren’t patriotic or enthusiastic about China’s future prospects—mostly they are. But many wonder why anyone with a coveted U.S. university degree would voluntarily embark upon an exciting, if potentially unstable, career path; surely there are quicker paths to riches than journalism. And any successful career woman ought to tote a Prada bag, not a simple rucksack, right?

Recently the global market-research company Ipsos polled people in 20 countries about their attitudes toward wealth and success. Those in China were the most likely to equate success with material possessions, with 71 percent agreeing with the statement “I measure my success by the things I own.”

The next three countries were also large emerging markets, suggesting that people’s views may be shaped not only by culture, but by stage of national development: 58 percent of respondents in India agreed with the same statement, while 57 percent in Turkey and 48 percent in Brazil did. (Twenty-one percent of Americans did.)

People in China were also the most likely to say “I feel under a lot of pressure to be successful and make money,” with 68 percent agreeing. (A separate global poll last year by U.K.-based office-space company Regus found that Chinese workers were also the most likely to report increasing stress levels over the past year.)

Meanwhile, people in India were the most likely to be hopeful about their country as a whole over the next year, with 53 percent expressing optimism. Forty-six percent of people in China expressed optimism—considerably above the global average of 32 percent. And the most pessimistic? Those living in Spain, Italy, and France.”

via China’s Ownership Society, Where Success Means Having Stuff – Businessweek.

Posted in Affluence, China alert, Economics, materialism, Social & cultural | 4 Comments »

Tags: Beijing, China, India, Ipsos, Ownership Society, Prada, Regus, Turkey

13/12/2013

Chinese tax bureau admits to keeping personal pleasure resorts | South China Morning Post

Taxmen in Heilongjiang province were discovered to be keeping at least two luxury mountain resorts and a farm, built with taxpayers’ funds, that supplied a private cache of fresh meat and produce to officials.

The resorts were reportedly built as a retreat for retired officials of Mudanjiang city’s tax bureau. One resort, located on a mountain more than 10 kilometres northwest from downtown, was opulently furnished and built with expensive wood. It featured several villas.

The premises also featured an animal farm along with a large greenhouse for vegetables. A manager of the resort told Xinhua news agency that the property had two functions: to be a place where tax officials can rest and enjoy leisure, and to supply “green” and “safe” vegetables and meat exclusively to the bureau.

Staff at the farm, which was publicly funded, were not allowed to sell the produce elsewhere.

via Chinese tax bureau admits to keeping personal pleasure resorts | South China Morning Post.

Posted in Affluence, China alert, corruption, Economics, Politics, Social & cultural | Leave a Comment »

Tags: animal farm, Beijing, China, Chinese language, fresh meat, Heilongjiang, Heilongjiang province, luxury mountain resorts, Resort, tax bureau, tax officials

13/12/2013

China Takes Aim at Officials’ Housing Perks – China Real Time Report – WSJ

The Chinese Communist Party’s latest reform effort begins at home.

On Wednesday, the Central Committee for Discipline Inspection announced a new set of regulations, outlining a reform of the residence system through which high-ranking officials were taking further advantage of special perks they already enjoyed as a benefit of their positions.

A Chinese national flag flutters at a construction site for a new residence complex in Beijing. Reuters

The People’s Daily paraded out the same admonitions–along with some others about the public conduct of cadres generally–on its front page the following day, lending even more authority to the initiative.

Historically, Chinese officials have been granted access to government residences and offices while serving, and some have enjoyed the same benefits even after they have retired. As the policy-making bureaucracy has grown over the years, many officials have been housed outside of government compounds, and their workspaces put in special, secured areas. In some instances, local governments have bought up prime real estate to build residential complexes for officials to work and live in the same location. Others who worked in the bureaucracy were granted permission to reside in apartments underwritten by government funds.

But there have been problems.

For example, it is widely known in party circles that some officials were renting their government-financed residences to private tenants and then pocketing the proceeds. These “remote officials” were not only supplementing their salaries by such practices, but also often residing in housing provided by local businessmen, who then sought political favors in exchange for that high-end lodging.

The new rules call for an end to such practices, especially where senior cadres are concerned.

via China Takes Aim at Officials’ Housing Perks – China Real Time Report – WSJ.

Posted in China alert, corruption, Social & cultural | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Beijing, Central Committee for Discipline Inspection, China, chinese communist party, Chinese national flag, Chinese officials, communist party of china, Flag of China, high-ranking officials

10/12/2013

Anna Hazare begins fast for Lokpal Bill – The Times of India

Veteran activist Anna Hazare launched an indefinite hunger strike at his village to press for the passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill.

English: Hon. Anna Hazare in Nanded , Maharastra . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the chilly 6 degrees Celsius temperature sweeping Maharashtra\’s Ahmednagar district, Hazare went on his usual morning walk and then started his hunger strike near the Yadavbaba temple in the village, under the banner of his new organization, Jantantra Morcha.

The Jan Lokpal Bill, also referred to as the Citizen\’s Ombudsman Bill, is an anti-corruption legislation drafted by civil society activists, seeking appointment of an independent panel to investigate cases of corruption.

Afghanistan, North Korea, and Somalia Are the World’s Most Corrupt Countries, With China in the Middle – Businessweek

So which countries are the most graft-ridden? According to Berlin-based Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index for 2013, Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia are tied for that dubious distinction.

The global corruption-fighting organization notes that more than two-thirds of the 177 countries surveyed scored below 50. That’s on a scale from zero, or perceived to be highly corrupt, to 100, or perceived to be very clean. (The three worst countries all got an 8, and Ukraine, now racked by protests, got a measly 25). “The abuse of power, secret dealings and bribery continue to ravage societies around the world,” says Transparency’s Dec. 3 press release for the index.

Denmark and New Zealand tied for first place, each with a squeaky clean rating of 91. Both countries topped of the rankings last year, too, each with 90; Finland, which last year also got a 90, slipped by one point, tying with Sweden for a close second place this year.

via Afghanistan, North Korea, and Somalia Are the World’s Most Corrupt Countries, With China in the Middle – Businessweek.

Posted in Chindia Alert, corruption, Economics, Politics, Social & cultural | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Afghanistan, Berlin, Corruption Perception Index, Denmark, New Zealand, North Korea, Somalia, Transparency International

01/12/2013

For Cognac Makers, the Chinese Party is Over – Businessweek

French cognac makers won’t be toasting the Chinese New Year. After several years of double-digit growth, cognac sales in China have tanked as President Xi Jinping clamps down on conspicuous consumption.

Shares in Rémy Cointreau (RCO:FP), maker of Rémy Martin cognac, plunged nearly 10 percent on Nov. 26 after the company said it expected a “substantial double-digit decline” in profits because of weak Chinese sales.

The Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan. 31 in 2014, ordinarily would bring a sales windfall, with Communist Party leaders hosting cognac-soaked banquets and giving each other bottles costing $200 and up. But, Rémy Chief Executive Officer Frédéric Pflanz told Bloomberg Television, “We don’t necessarily expect a bettering of the situation” for the next few months. Chinese distributors are sitting on large, unsold stocks and aren’t placing new orders, he said.

via For Cognac Makers, the Chinese Party is Over – Businessweek.

Posted in austerity, austerity, China alert, corruption, Economics, luxury brand, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: China, chinese new year, Cognac, Communist Party, conspicuous consumption, President Xi Jinping, Rémy Cointreau, Rémy Martin, Rémy Martin cognac, Xi JinPing

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