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1 Cefc PM 20131028 Press Meeting October 28, 2013 Politics 1 cefc PM 20131028 Press Meeting October 28, 2013 Politics 1. Party journal denounces 'Western democracy trap' a. Qiushi, an influential Communist Party journal, published an article on 16/10 which denounced Western calls for political reform, saying such pressure was aimed at getting rid of the Communist Party and its leaders.1 b. The article was titled “巩固党和人民团结奋斗的共同思想基础” (it later mentions 两个巩固 in the article) and was written by a certain Qiu Shi 秋石, which probably represents journal’s own view. c. The article specifically denounced the set of universal values forced upon on China by the West, constitutionalism and neo-liberalism, arguing that they contravene the principles of the Chinese Constitution. "Western countries attack us for having a constitution but no constitutional government, saying the Communist Party as a one-party system is illegitimate, and that the Communist Party is above the law. …This is so they can pressure us to put in place the 'political reforms' they so earnestly hope for, the real goal of which is to eliminate Communist Party leaders and change our socialist system."2 d. An indication that the attack against constitutionalism is climbing to higher levels 2. Nanjing mayor Ji Jianye was placed under disciplinary investigation and dismissed from office as part of the anti-graft campaign a. The accusation was “economic crimes”, a euphemism for corruption. b. People’s Daily said that Ji was implicated in the investigation of Zhu Xingliang, a prominent businessman in Jiangsu. The report, citing an anonymous Nanjing official, also said Ji initiated massive urban renovation projects during his days in Yangzhou, with work on the projects often tendered to contractors with ties to him. He embarked on a similar renovation spree when he moved to Nanjing.3 c. Caijing’s report on Ji’s crimes4 3. Yuyao flood protests a. Yuyao, Zhejiang Province, suffered a massive flood after Typhoon Fitow landed. On Friday 11/10, angry residents lashed out violently 1 Qiushi, http://news.163.com/13/1016/14/9BAKT0VF00014JB5.html 2 SCMP, http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1333340/party-journal- denounces-western-democracy-trap 3 SCMP, http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1333220/nanjing-mayor-ji- jianye-faces-internal-disciplinary-probe 4 Caijing, http://stock.caijing.com.cn/2013-10-24/113467378.html 1 against police and a state TV crew for allegedly misrepresenting the disaster’s impact on their community. Online accounts say residents were infuriated after a journalist said to the camera that, “The flood in Yuyao is gone, and the people have gone back to their normal lives.” But Ningbo TV station denied having said these words in the program.5 b. On 16/10, residents of Yuyao city gathered in front of the local government headquarters, denouncing what they decried as inadequate relief efforts and demanding the local Party secretary and mayor to step down. Some even declared direct election of party secretary and self-rule. The “Serve the People” slogan was removed from the government office. State authorities immediately dispatched riot police.6 c. Like the Beijing floods in 2012, social media played an important role in organiZing grassroots emergency response and allowing citiZens to voice their concerns about government reaction to the disaster. In the Yuyao protests, social media helped mobiliZe protesters. One internet appeal ran: “Urgent from Yuyao, now we appeal to everyone online to support the Yuyao people who are now confronting paramilitary forces in the government square”. NetiZens were also amaZed at how fast the state authorities could dispatch such a massive security effort to quell the protests, while being slow on the rescue.7 d. However, social media has been relatively quiet on this issue compared to previous natural disasters, at a time when there is a broader crackdown on online speech and rumors. Data collected by People’s Daily Public Opinion Monitoring Center during the most intense period of flooding found that i. There were 170,000 posts with news of the Yuyao floods on Sina Weibo, far lower than the 4.99 million tweets following the Lushan (Ya’an) earthquake, and the 610,000 tweets following Beijing’s July 21 rainstorms and flooding of last year. ii. Similarly, on further examination, there was lively discussion about the Lushan earthquake among the accounts belonging to the top fifty opinion leaders, yet in regard to the Yuyao floods, 27 opinion leaders forwarded news, and only 16 people published commentary.8 Reason: Increasing popularity of WeChat? Self-censorship induced by the ongoing “opinion management” activities? State censorship? 5 SCMP, http://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1330148/zhejiang- typhoon-victims-attack-tv-crew-police-over-untruthful 6 Reuters, http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2013/10/riot-police-block-new- protests-flood-victims-yuyao/ 7 New York Times, http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/first- water-then-soldiers-flood-a-chinese-town/?smid=tw-share&_r=0; Offbeat China, http://offbeatchina.com/unrest-in-flooded-chinese-city-yuyao-over-untruthful- disaster-reporting 8 Bloomberg, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-17/china-typhoon-s- big-casualty-web-freedom.html 2 4. Xi Zhongxun’s birth anniversary memorial – A gathering for the “Second Red Generation” (紅二代) a. On 15/10, Five hundred people gathered in Beijing’s Great Hall to commemorate the 100th birthday of Xi Jinping’s father Xi Zhongxun. Families of revolutionary leaders Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yun, Li Xiannian, Gao Gang* and Wang Zhen attended. The family of Bo Yibo, however, was absent. b. *A quick note about Gao Gang: Gao was a CCP leader during the Civil War and the early years of the PRC, before becoming the victim of the first major purge within the CCP in 1953. He committed suicide in 1954 and had been accused of planning an anti-revolutionary and anti-party plot subverting Zhou Enlai and Liu Shaoqi. Recently, however, there are signs that Gao Gang is being reinstated under Xi Jinping’s administration (Gao Gang’s name appeared in Xi Zhongxun’s documentary several times), probably due to the close ties between Xi and Gao’s family.9 c. Xi Jinping was “said” to have told authorities to keep the commemoration in lower profile. Xi Zhongxun was praised for his revolutionary credentials and his resume for pushing economic reforms in Guangdong Province, and also for his uprightness during the Cultural Revolution.10 Analysts said that this makes Xi Zhongxun a hero both in the first 30 years of PRC history and the next 30 years of economic reform. The commemoration was believed to be an event to cement Xi Jinping’s position. d. A series of books on Xi Zhongxun, which include 210 selections from the late revolutionary, 98 articles on recollections about him by his comrades-in-arms, colleagues and relatives, as well as hundreds of photographs featuring his work and life experiences, were published recently. A six-episode documentary telling stories of his revolutionary glories and policy contributions is also being aired on CCTV. 11 e. Barbara Demick at The LA Times reported how the government Xi Zhongxun’s Shaanxi hometown of Fuping is hoping to turn the anniversary into a fountain of “red tourist” yuan: “The local government is now raising money for what it says will be a $3-billion theme park spread over 2,700 acres. The park is to include entertainment, cultural and exhibition centers and a spa, according to a notice published in April by the municipal government. […] One person who hasn’t visited much is Xi Jinping. Aside from the ceremony Tuesday, the president has distanced himself from the tributes. Political analysts say Xi is keen to avoid the perception that he is a 9 Mingpao, http://news.mingpao.com/20131023/cab1.htm 10 People’s Daily, http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90785/8426223.html 11 Global Times, http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/818033.shtml#.Ul9aAo7MBWg 3 “princeling,” a derogatory expression for the privileged second- generation communists who are among China’s elite.”12 5. Liberal PKU professor expelled a. Outspoken proponent of the freedom of expression and early signer of Charter 08 Xia Yeliang has been expelled from his associate professor (without tenure) post on the faculty of Peking University’s School of Economics. A 34-member faculty at Peking University’s School of Economics voted last week to dismiss Professor Xia Yeliang, who has worked at PKU for 13 years, by a 30-3 vote, with one abstention, in a closed session from which he was excluded – despite support among academia from Wellesley College. School authorities said they have received over 300 complaints on Xia, whose economics course, however, used to be one of the most popular courses in PKU. i. PKU’s statement “夏业良老师于2002年7月入职北大经济学院 ，现为人事代理合同制身份，职称为副教授。近年来，夏业良 的教学评估成绩连续多年处于全院倒数。2008年以来夏业良 的教学评估结果是：三次全院倒数第一，一次倒数第三，一次 倒数第四，最好的结果是两次倒数第六。对夏业良授课方式、 授课内容、工作态度等有关教学工作的批评意见多达340多条 ，还曾有二十多名学生联名要求改换任课老师。在学生对夏业 良提出的批评意见和建议中，主要批评夏业良讲课跑题，偏离 课程内容，在与教学无关的话题上浪费大量时间。有的意见言 辞比较激烈，如“上课讲经济学，不要扯淡”、“本末倒置”，“太 水了”、“讲废话超多”等。还有一些认为讲课内容太肤浅，如“ 我们要真正的知识”、“关于学术方面的东西讲得太少”等[18]。 其次，在科研论文方面，根据夏业良本人提供的材料，从 2008年8月到2013年1月，夏业良发表CSSCI期刊论文仅1篇（ 与其学生共同发表）。” ii. Xia’s reply can be found on Wikipedia.13 More on CDT.14 b. His expulsion comes as China’s recently installed leadership has further tightened controls on public discourse, arresting popular bloggers for spreading so-called rumours and activists who have called for anti-corruption measures. Communist Party authorities reportedly issued a directive to some college campuses
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