Rumours and the Truth an Exhibition of Modern Paper Cuts by Wang Shaofeng Was Recently Held in the National Art Gallery in Beijing
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A CHINESE WEEKLY OF NEWS AND VIEWS Vol. 32, No. 37 September 1 8-24, 1 989 Rumours and the Truth An exhibition of modern paper cuts by Wang Shaofeng was recently held in the National Art Gallery in Beijing. The artist works in the Kaiyang Phosphorous Mining Administrative Bureau of Guizh- ou Province. His works are well received for their unique, simple and liberal style. The picture shows the artist with some of his works. Photo by Chen Zhe BEIJING REVIEW VOL. 32, NO. 37 SEP. 11-17, 1989 CONTENTS Chinese Foreign Minister on World Situation • With the development of the world situation, it is an objective fact that countries with different systems have EVENTS/TRENDS 5-9 different value concepts. These differences should be respect• ed without attempting to impose one's own value concepts Travel Costs Increased upon others (p. 8). NPC Standing Committee Brings New Measures Wliy "Laws Go Unenforced" Current Economic Policy Pays Off • Much headway has been made in the establishment of Financial Strain Analysed China's legal system. However, failure to enforce the laws, Forests Plundered Despite to follow them strictly without reservations and to follow through with punishment of law-breakers is a fairly serious NPC Laws problem in some localities and departments. The author of News in Brief the article lists factors leading to the desultory observance and non-enforcement of the laws (p. 13). INTERNATIONAL NPC Standing Committee Holds Meeting in Beijing Foreign Minister Qian Assesses • Participants to the recent meeting of the NPC Standing World Situation 8 Committee said that the drive to clean up companies has a The International Climate and direct bearing on the building of a clean and honest govern• The June Rebellion 9 ment and on the reputation of the Communist Party and the government. It must be carried out thoroughly, they stressed (p. 4). CHINA Travel Costs Increase Why 'Laws Go Unenf orced' 13 Rumours and the Truth 16 • The State Council has approved an increase in the nation's rail, air and water transport fares for passengers starting Notes on a Trip to Shenzhen (4): September 5. The increase is intended to help pay the way A Glimpse of the Science and for wliat the government sees as badly needed renovation and Technology Industrial Park 23 expaiision of the nation's transport system which has plum• meted into the red due to highly subsidized travel fares and poor management (p. 4). BUSINESS/TRADE 27-29 Rumours and Truth FROM THE CHINESE PRESS 30-31 • Voice of America and the Western mass media had spread many rumous about China's efforts to quell the counter• CULTURE/SCIENCE 32-33 revolutionary rebellion in early June. Beijing Review has compiled a pamphlet pointing out the falsity of these ru• COVER: SOS! mours and countering them with the truth. Part of the pamphlet, published by the New Star Publishers, is carried Cartoon by Li Baolian in this issue (p. 16). Unless written by Beijing Review correspondents, tlie opinions expressed in signed articles do not necessarily reflect the view of the Beijing Review editorial board. General Editorial Office Published every Monday by BEIJING REVIE\ Subscription rates (1 year); Tel; 8314318 24 Baiwanzhuang Road, Beijing 100037 Australia J\.$29.00 TLX; 222374 FLPDA CN The People's Republic of China New Zealand NZ.$39.00 FAX; 8314318 Distributed by China International Book UK C14.50 English Dept. Tel; 8315599 Ext. 546 Trading Corporation (GUOJI SHUDIAN) USA US$29.00 P.O. Box 399, Beijing, China Canada Can.$25.00 ridden situation which they attri• Travel Costs Increased buted to the low transporta• tion charges. The circular also he biggest transportation Students heading for their col• claimed they needed the extra funds to up-grade the nation's Tprice increase in New Chi• leges for the new autumn term transport capacity so as to meet na's 40-year history will take are also being granted an exemp• the needs of the developing na• effect Sept. 5 that will roughly tion from the price increases un• tional economy and to ease long• double passenger fares on most til the end of October, because of standing passenger transport train, airline and shipping the delayed openings of their col• congestion. routes. leges and universities. Students The circular also stressed that The State Council-approved will still be able to go at half the old price when they embark for various localities, government nationwide price hikes exempt departments and enterprises are their schools. both freight and long distance strictly prohibited from using bus fares from the increases. Foreign travellers will general• the transport fare hikes as an Train riders will face buying ly have to pay 70 percent more excuse to piggyback further price tickets at roughly double the old for all transport than their increases onto other commod• prices, with an overall rate in• Chinese counterparts, including ities. crease of 112 percent. Fares for Chinese from Hong Kong, Ma• The circular warned that vio• passenger trains will be raised cao and Taiwan. The increase lators of this new policy will be from the existing 0.02 yuan per uses the same price ratio as un• severely punished and that rele• kilometre (per person) to 0.04 der the old price system. vant leaders will be held respon• yuan per kilometre. In addition, all the passenger sible. Those on short rail trips—less prices for local government-run Ticket surcharges imposed by than 100 kilometres— will have rail, water and air routes will local transportation departments to pay 60 percent extra, while also increase. in recent years are invalid and fares for suburban and long• A recent State Council circu• will be scrapped when the new distance destinations, further lar stated that the move was price regulations take effect, the than 100 kilometres, are going aimed at reversing the deficit- State Council said. • up by 120 percent. Most passengers on ships run by the Shanghai and Guangdong NPC Standing Committee Brings Ocean Shipping bureaux, the Dalian and Changjiang ship cor• New Measures porations and the Heilongjiang he ninth meeting of the ties. Shipping Bureau will pay 96 per• T Standing Committee of the The purpose of this law, he cent more for their tickets. Seventh National People's said, is to help build neighbour• Passengers paying fifth-class Congress (NPC) opened August hood committees into autonom• passage on ships, found usually 29 in Beijing to consider legisla• ous self-help mass grassroots or• to be those paying their own way, tive and other issues. ganizations. will be caught with only slight At the opening session, partici• The proposal to discuss the increases while those who travel pants listened to an explanation draft law, raised by Premier Li in higher class who are usually by Minister of Civil Affairs Cui Peng, said that the law was made reinbursed by their units will Naifu of the Draft Law on the to protect the rights of urban re• face much stiffer rates. Organization of Neighbourhood sidents, develop socialist demo• Domestic air travellers are Committees in Urban Areas and cracy at basic levels in urban going to fly into a sobering 77 a report on the screening of bus• areas, and promote the urban percent average fare increases, iness companies given by Ren construction of material civiliza• but 71 routes to favorite tourist Zhonglin, director of the State tion and socialist culture. spots will have their increases Administration of Industry and According to the proposal, the put off until the end of the year. Commerce. law, based on relevant regula• Disabled soldiers, children and Cui said that the neighbour• tions in the Constitution, was students on holidays will contin• hood committees organization drafted by the Ministry of Civil ue to enjoy 50 percent discounts law has been drafted in accord• Affairs. after prices are raised for rail, ance with the Chinese Constitu• Organization regulations for water and air transport routes. tion and in light of urban reali• urban neighbourhood commit- 4 ^.,?E^W(Cn«i,lWS^JifP;F§MBER 11-17. 1989 EVENTS/TRENDS tees were first issued in the the NPC Standing Committee said that though 47 percent of all 1950s. The guidelines and princi• members said that the achieve• the companies were checked, the ples of the rules are still accept• ments in screening companies rest were simply asked to scru• able even today, Cui said. cannot be overestimated. tinize themselves. But experience Nevertheless, some articles Many of them said that the shows that self-examination is and items are no longer suitable drive to clean up various com• futile, he stressed. to the situation in urban areas panies is an important economic He said that the broad masses that has evolved over three de• and political matter. It has a di• are not only interested in how cades, he said. rect bearing on the building of much money in fines the govern• According to the new draft a clean and honest government ment has collected, but how the law, the neighbourhood commit• and on the reputation of the companies and persons who have tees in urban areas will be res• Communist Party and the gov• engaged in illegal businesses are ponsible for spreading know• ernment. Therefore, they said, punished. ledge of the Constitution, laws, the drive must be carried out He urged the government to rules and government policies; thoroughly. severely punish all Party and protecting the legal rights of re• Deng Jiatai, an NPC Standing government officials and their sidents; and encouraging the Committee member, said that relatives who have speculated in masses to follow the govern• great achievements have been important means of production ment's line.