https://www.scmp.com/rss/312502/feed The annual Chinese "lianghui" of 2014, or plenary meetings of China's top legislative and consultative bodies, the National People's Congress and the National People's Consultative Conference, will take place in Beijing in early to mid-March. The NPC sessions are scheduled to begin on March 5, and the CPPCC meetings to commence on March 3. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Censors were stationed for a week at the offices of Tencent's popular social media service WeChat before dozens of prominent accounts were closed or suspended, a source has said. The move, on the closing day of the National People's Congress, marked an intensification of the internet crackdown under President Xi Jinping's leadership, observers said. Internet users noticed on Thursday evening that at least 35 WeChat public accounts, many known for carrying commentaries on current affairs, were no... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1448942/censors-were-wechat-officers-crackdown-accounts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1448942/censors-were-wechat-officers-crackdown-accounts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Mar 2014 21:15:30 +0000 Rebalancing China's economy from being capital-intensive and export-driven to a more sustainable consumer-led model is tricky. Premier Li Keqiang acknowledged that yesterday at the close of the annual meeting of the National People's Congress. Pragmatism is what the nation needs and Li's record after a year of economic management shows he is the right person for the job. It is cause to have faith in his agenda of reforms aimed at stability and improving livelihoods while maintaining an... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1448109/premier-li-keqiang-delivers-healthy-dose-realism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1448109/premier-li-keqiang-delivers-healthy-dose-realism?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2014 21:00:15 +0000 At least a dozen popular public WeChat accounts - some followed by hundreds of thousands subscribers - were shut down or suspended yesterday. Some of the accounts were operated by popular columnists, such as Xu Danei and Luo Changping, or by online news outlets, such as NetEase. Xu's account alone had an estimated 200,000 subscribers. WeChat's public instant-messaging accounts have became a popular venue for discussing political issues in recent months as more established online social networks,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1448182/crackdown-hits-popular-accounts-tencents-wechat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1448182/crackdown-hits-popular-accounts-tencents-wechat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2014 21:00:00 +0000 Beijing is tightening scrutiny of government debt and the shadow banking system to contain risk, Premier Li Keqiang said yesterday. He said Beijing had been "highly attentive" to financial and debt risks, and set a timetable for implementing rules to stop banks overexpanding. "We decided to audit government debt last year, which showed our firm conviction to face the problem," Li said. In the lending spree in the wake of the 2008-09 global financial meltdown, funds poured into local governments... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1448069/we-will-keep-tighter-rein-debt-and-shadow-banking-li?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1448069/we-will-keep-tighter-rein-debt-and-shadow-banking-li?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2014 15:15:15 +0000 The number of new companies registered in the past year hit a 10-year high as the central government's efforts to cut red tape bore fruit. Registrations of private companies rose 30 per cent from a year earlier, indicating that "cutting red tape and delegating power were powerful tools to boost the market's vitality and social creativity", Premier Li Keqiang said yesterday. Last year, the central government cancelled 416 administrative procedures for examinations and approvals, sending a strong... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1448068/company-registrations-10-year-high-beijing-reduces-red-tape?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1448068/company-registrations-10-year-high-beijing-reduces-red-tape?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2014 15:15:15 +0000 Li Keqiang breezed through a tame and uneventful press conference, thanks largely to the absence of the uncomfortable questions often foisted on his predecessors. Nine overseas media outlets, including one each from Hong Kong and Taiwan, were called upon to ask questions. But none touched on controversies such as domestic disturbances or ethnic minorities. That was especially surprising, coming just two weeks after five knife-wielding attackers - Xinjiang separatists, according to the government... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1448072/premier-li-keqiang-breezes-through-journalists-tame-questions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1448072/premier-li-keqiang-breezes-through-journalists-tame-questions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2014 14:45:30 +0000 Ties between China and the US would remain strong as long as both sides kept the focus on their common interests instead of the differences, Premier Li Keqiang has said. Li acknowledged frictions between the world's two biggest economies, but said they shared interests and called for mutual respect of core concerns. It is only natural that these two countries have some differences and frictions LI KEQIANG "Wise people will seek a common interest, while unwise ones will focus on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1447750/premier-admits-friction-between-china-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1447750/premier-admits-friction-between-china-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:45:15 +0000 The mainland’s policies on Hong Kong remain steadfast, Premier Li Keqiang said as he vowed Beijing would “do everything” to help maintain the territory’s economic status. He pledged the government’s support to the city – a sometimes recalcitrant ally – in maintaining its status as an international financial hub and shipping centre. “[We will] do everything that benefits Hong Kong's prosperity. That’s what we did in the past, and [that holds true] now,” he said in Beijing on Wednesday, after the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1447754/beijing-will-do-everything-maintain-hong-kongs-economic-power-li-vows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1447754/beijing-will-do-everything-maintain-hong-kongs-economic-power-li-vows?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:30:45 +0000 The official economic growth target will be flexible as long as it can ensure stable jobs, Premier Li Keqiang told an international audience in the clearest message to date by a top leader about the nation's willingness to tolerate slower growth. Li said after the closing of the annual National People's Congress session yesterday that the nation must be prepared for more complex challenges. "We need to ensure steady growth and employment, avert inflation and defuse risks," he said. "We also need... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1447695/chinas-economy-biggest-challenge-says-premier-li-keqiang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1447695/chinas-economy-biggest-challenge-says-premier-li-keqiang?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2014 04:45:30 +0000 Fewer lawmakers voiced dissent at this year's legislative meeting by voting against the government and judiciary work reports. Most of the National People's Congress - dominated by the Communist Party and described by critics as a rubber stamp parliament - usually vote overwhelmingly in favour of Beijing's policies. But analysts said the administration was still enjoying its "honeymoon period". The work report by Premier Li Keqiang at the start of the assembly outlining overall government policy... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1447681/premiers-plan-government-policy-wins-approval-npc-draws-close?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1447681/premiers-plan-government-policy-wins-approval-npc-draws-close?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2014 04:30:45 +0000 Premier Li Keqiang was not asked about the graft investigation into former security tsar Zhou Yongkang after reporters were warned against raising the subject. Reporters were told they would be blacklisted and be unable to ask questions at future events if they asked the premier about Zhou. We will show zero tolerance for corrupt officials or behaviour LI KEQIANG, PREMIER Journalists, mostly from overseas media organisations, said officials had given the warning before the premier's annual... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1447693/li-keqiang-not-asked-about-zhou-yongkang-case-after-reporters-warned?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1447693/li-keqiang-not-asked-about-zhou-yongkang-case-after-reporters-warned?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2014 04:27:47 +0000 Premier Li Keqiang yesterday promised continued support for Hong Kong amid "comprehensive deepening" of reforms on the mainland, but he evaded questions about the city's electoral reform and autonomy. The premier said Hong Kong had kept its competitive edge and gave a reassurance that the central government's policy towards the city remained "consistent and clear-cut". His remarks at the annual press conference after the plenary sessions of the national legislature and top advisory body came... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1447598/central-governments-policy-consistent-and-clear-cut-it-will-continue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1447598/central-governments-policy-consistent-and-clear-cut-it-will-continue?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2014 01:38:05 +0000 Attempts to introduce anti-terrorism laws could create further problems if they fail to define the powers of various enforcement agencies or strike a balance between battling extremism and protecting civil rights, legal experts say. National People's Congress (NPC) deputies and delegates to the government's main political advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), have called on the central government to enact anti-terrorism laws during their annual meetings... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1447369/new-anti-terror-laws-must-protect-human-right-say-legal-experts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1447369/new-anti-terror-laws-must-protect-human-right-say-legal-experts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Mar 2014 20:33:44 +0000 Pollution has become a much greater concern for delegates to China's top political advisory body, judging by proposals submitted at this year's session. The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) concluded its annual plenum in Beijing yesterday. The 10-day meeting saw members submit 5,875 proposals, of which 4,982 were formally accepted, the committee said. Of those, 596 proposals, more than one-tenth of the total, listed pollution as a top concern.... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1447379/pollution-greater-concern-delegates-annual-cppcc-session?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1447379/pollution-greater-concern-delegates-annual-cppcc-session?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Mar 2014 20:30:45 +0000 The Communist Party's anti-corruption watchdog will set up its first internal affairs branch to police its own agents, the country's top graft-buster announced yesterday. Wang Qishan , the secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and a member of the supreme Politburo Standing Committee, vowed "zero tolerance" for ethical violations and abuse by the watchdog's inspectors. "The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection will intensify supervision of inspectors … and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1446660/communist-party-watchdogs-get-their-own-watchers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1446660/communist-party-watchdogs-get-their-own-watchers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Mar 2014 21:00:15 +0000 Hong Kong's deputies to the national legislature have mounted a rare united stance to push for tougher laws against trafficking in women and children. The 36 local deputies to the National People's Congress tabled an amendment that would raise the penalty for buyers of children to 10 years in jail. The amendment, first raised by deputy Wong Ting-chung in 2013, seeks to amend article 241 of the Chinese Criminal Law. That article spells out penalties for sellers but leaves buyers largely... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1446669/hong-kong-deputies-npc-united-push-human-trafficking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1446669/hong-kong-deputies-npc-united-push-human-trafficking?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Mar 2014 21:00:15 +0000 A group of academics with the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) have openly criticised the "weak" role of the advisory body, which they said had become a mere accessory to the National People's Congress. They called for more independent powers for the CPPCC, including strengthening its supervisory role envisioned by the Communist Party decades ago. "The CPPCC has been neglected for years," said Hou Xinyi, a CPPCC delegate from Tianjin and the Nankai University Law... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1446077/disgruntled-delegates-urge-party-give-cppcc-more-teeth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1446077/disgruntled-delegates-urge-party-give-cppcc-more-teeth?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Mar 2014 07:00:45 +0000 In many countries, national disasters can disrupt parliamentary sessions and dominate their agendas for days. But not on the mainland. Apart from a minute's silence at the start of the National People's Congress (NPC) for victims of the deadly March 1 attack at Kunming's main train station, everything has been business as usual at the once-a-year parliamentary meeting in Beijing. Neither did news of the disappearance of Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 carrying 239 passengers and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1445661/nod-grief-then-its-back-business?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1445661/nod-grief-then-its-back-business?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Mar 2014 20:45:15 +0000 The fight against terrorism and corruption will be top priorities for judicial officials over the coming year, the mainland's chief justice and chief prosecutor said yesterday in their annual reports to the National People's Congress (NPC). The number of terrorism attacks has increased in recent years. In the latest incident, on March 1, a group of knife-wielding assailants staged a bloody attack in Kunming railway station, leaving 29 civilians dead and 143 injured. International authorities are... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1445700/fighting-corruption-and-terrorism-top-priorities-chinas-judiciary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1445700/fighting-corruption-and-terrorism-top-priorities-chinas-judiciary?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Mar 2014 20:45:15 +0000 'Tibet is not Kunming' A Tibet standing committee member said the Kunming railway attack would not affect the autonomous region and sought to emphasise stability there - despite a track record of unrest and self-immolations against Chinese rule. Baima Chilin said Tibet had a unique geography and culture, so incidents like the March 1 attack by Xinjiang separatists were unrelated. He also said, "There had not been a single self-immolation case in Tibet", without specifying a timeline. Keira Lu... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1444765/national-peoples-congress-briefs-march-10-2014?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1444765/national-peoples-congress-briefs-march-10-2014?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Mar 2014 19:30:45 +0000 Where in the world of politics would you find the greatest concentration of billionaires? Looking at the annual Hurun list of China's richest people, a good start may be with the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which opened their annual meetings last week. The NPC has 86 yuan billionaires, while the CPPCC, the nation's top political advisory body, has 69 billionaires. The richest NPC members have seen their average wealth multiply more than... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1444747/chinas-parliament-billionaires-club?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1444747/chinas-parliament-billionaires-club?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Mar 2014 18:47:11 +0000 China's top lawmaker vowed yesterday to push forward legislation in areas of key public concern, including pollution and oversight of officials' conduct. National People's Congress (NPC) Chairman Zhang Dejiang made his comments while delivering his annual work report to delegates, echoing Premier Li Keqiang's remarks to open the annual congress last week. Zhang, who ranks third in the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee, said combatting pollution would be one of the top priorities to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1444270/pollution-and-food-safety-top-legal-agenda-year-zhang-dejiang-tells-npc?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1444270/pollution-and-food-safety-top-legal-agenda-year-zhang-dejiang-tells-npc?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Mar 2014 06:59:57 +0000 Signs that the central government's fight against excess is in full force were evident at this year's toned-down parliamentary meetings. Some delegates were asked by organisers to bring their own toothbrushes, slippers and daily necessities instead of relying on hotels to provide them. Many delegations from the provinces and cities chose to forgo chartered flights and travelled by coach or train to Beijing. "Since last year, austerity and frugality have become common in the meetings. No red... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1443912/chinas-war-against-excess-evident-no-frills-national-gatherings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1443912/chinas-war-against-excess-evident-no-frills-national-gatherings?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Mar 2014 21:51:38 +0000 The official UN theme for this year's International Women's Day is "equality for women is progress for all", but even China's most powerful women say they still have not shattered the glass ceiling. Traditional values are hindering women's development in China as lawmakers and government advisers converge in Beijing and call for legislation on sex education, domestic violence and more. "I think there need to be more opportunities for women, especially in the National People's Congress and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1443909/women-cppcc-and-npc-say-true-sexual-equality-elusive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1443909/women-cppcc-and-npc-say-true-sexual-equality-elusive?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Mar 2014 21:51:38 +0000 More companies should be allowed to default on their bonds, an external supervisor at the Bank of China said, a day after a solar-cell maker became the first to do so. “We need to be more accepting and allow such defaults to happen,” Mei Xingbao said during a meeting of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in Beijing. “The debtor must be responsible for his own debt. He must tell the investors that there is risk involved in the product.” Mei’s remarks add to indications that... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1444057/china-should-allow-more-bond-defaults-bank-supervisor-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1444057/china-should-allow-more-bond-defaults-bank-supervisor-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Mar 2014 21:45:45 +0000 A national lawmaker says sex with underage boys should carry the same penalty as sex with underage girls. The Criminal Code currently treats sex with boys, whether consensual or not, as child molestation, which is punishable by up to five years in jail. Sex with a girl under the age of 14, or rape, carries a jail term of up to 10 years, unless severe violence or gang rape is involved. Zhao Donghua, vice-chairwoman of the China Women's Federation, was quoted as saying the law should be changed to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1443177/sex-underage-boys-should-be-punished-same-girls-deputy-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1443177/sex-underage-boys-should-be-punished-same-girls-deputy-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Mar 2014 20:00:45 +0000 'Third party venue' for Xi-Ma meeting The mainland's top Taiwan affairs negotiator, Chen Deming, said he had "high hopes" for a suggestion that Xi Jinping and Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou meet at a "third-party venue" outside the mainland and Taiwan. Chen said the term "does not necessarily refer to Hong Kong", Taiwan's United Daily News reported. "It could also be other places; [we] need to think about it ." Beijing has seemed cool to talk of a Xi-Ma meeting this year at the Asia-Pacific... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1443170/national-peoples-congress-briefs-march-8-2014?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1443170/national-peoples-congress-briefs-march-8-2014?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Mar 2014 20:00:45 +0000 While China was unsurpassed in the quantity of its trade, the nation must now improve the quality of its goods, Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng said yesterday in Beijing, where the National People's Congress is holding its annual meeting. Being the biggest trading nation was not the same as being a "strong" one, Gao said. China surpassed the United States as the top trading nation last year, recording exports and imports worth US$4.16 trillion (HK$32.3 trillion). But it had missed its growth... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1443173/commerce-minister-gao-hucheng-says-china-must-improve-trade-quality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1443173/commerce-minister-gao-hucheng-says-china-must-improve-trade-quality?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Mar 2014 20:00:45 +0000 Former Hong Kong security minister Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong has added the military and foreign service to the government sectors that he believes should be opened to young Hongkongers. Lee, a local deputy to the National People's Congress, called on the central government yesterday to consider creating paths for the city's youth to pursue careers in the country's armed forces and diplomatic corps. "When I was the secretary for security, I was asked by some why locals were not allowed to join the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1443175/ambrose-lee-issues-call-open-pla-and-foreign-service-hongkongers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1443175/ambrose-lee-issues-call-open-pla-and-foreign-service-hongkongers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Mar 2014 19:59:39 +0000 A National People’s Congress delegate has urged ramped-up health programmes for the youth, saying more Chinese children are suffering from obesity and are lagging behind their taller South Korean and Japanese peers. “The physical fitness level has been declining for the past 25 years,” said Wu Zhengxian, a lawmaker and a director at the Beijing Institute of Education. “All levels of indicators, including endurance, power, strength and speed have been become poorer.” “On the other hand, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1442719/chinese-are-shorter-japanese-koreans-yao-ming-lawmaker-spotlight-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1442719/chinese-are-shorter-japanese-koreans-yao-ming-lawmaker-spotlight-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Mar 2014 10:15:45 +0000 An NPC official vowed speedy action on a long-awaited charity bill that would make donations compulsory for every citizen. Charities have received little attention at this year's parliamentary meetings, but Zhou Sen , the National People's Congress deputy for Henan province, vowed the central government "will take action on the legislation as soon as the two sessions are over". Zhou wants it to be compulsory for citizens to donate part of their earnings to charity, "much like they must pay... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1442594/charity-donations-may-become-compulsory-all-chinese-earners-sector?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1442594/charity-donations-may-become-compulsory-all-chinese-earners-sector?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Mar 2014 07:00:45 +0000 Shanxi ‘firm’ against graft Shanxi party secretary Yuan Chunqing defended the province’s anti-corruption efforts as successful despite criticism from the Communist Party’s top disciplinary body. “Our attitude on anti-corruption has been consistent and firm,” Yuan said, when asked about criticism from inspectors from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection that the province was not aggressive enough in fighting graft. “Last year, we punished 11,879 officials for violating regulations and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1442302/national-peoples-congress-briefs-march-7-2014?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1442302/national-peoples-congress-briefs-march-7-2014?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2014 19:30:00 +0000 A Hong Kong business titan has backed fellow tycoon Peter Lee Ka-kit's call for "independent" opinion polls to counter "unpatriotic" surveys by the University of Hong Kong. New World chairman Henry Cheng Kar-shun, a colleague of Lee on the standing committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said in Beijing yesterday: "If people other [than HKU] would like to do it, it can help [the government] understand people's thinking." However, Cheng, who backed Leung Chun-ying in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1442254/new-world-tycoon-henry-cheng-backs-call-patriotic-opinion-polls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1442254/new-world-tycoon-henry-cheng-backs-call-patriotic-opinion-polls?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2014 19:30:00 +0000 Agriculture Minister Han Changfu says there is no reason to fear genetically modified food and that he regularly eats it himself. The statement was the most public effort yet by a senior mainland official to dispel anxiety about the safety of GM foods. "I eat food processed from GM crops, soya bean oil to be specific," he said at a press conference yesterday in Beijing, where the National People's Congress is meeting. Han said most soya bean oil products sold on the mainland were made from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1442188/genetically-modified-food-safe-eat-says-chinas-agriculture-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1442188/genetically-modified-food-safe-eat-says-chinas-agriculture-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2014 19:30:00 +0000 Xinjiang party chief Zhang Chunxian says the restive autonomous region will work closely with the newly formed National Security Commission. Zhang said the commission, headed by President Xi Jinping, would play a leading role in maintaining security in the far-western region, where violence has recently flared amid ethnic tensions. Nearly half Xinjiang's population are Turkic Uygurs. "We will properly conduct our work in Xinjiang under the leadership of the National Security Commission," Zhang... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1442255/xinjiang-work-national-security-commission-curb-violence-zhang-chunxian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1442255/xinjiang-work-national-security-commission-curb-violence-zhang-chunxian?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2014 19:30:00 +0000 A senior official said advances in regulating the organ transplant network should lead to more people signing up as voluntary donors, eliminating the need to harvest from executed prisoners. All transplant organs would come from voluntary donors once two out of every one million residents had signed up, said Dr Huang Jiefu , the former deputy health minister and a director of the China Organ Donation and Transplant Committee, an industry group established this month. The rate is currently 0.2... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1442170/organ-transplant-regulations-should-boost-donor-numbers-says-official?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1442170/organ-transplant-regulations-should-boost-donor-numbers-says-official?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2014 15:15:15 +0000 The property market was a perennial focus of work reports delivered by Wen Jiabao when he was premier. During his decade-long tenure, National People's Congress attendees grew accustomed to hearing Wen criticise developers and pledge action to cool the overheated housing market. Premier Li Keqiang, however, departed from that practice in his first address to the legislative body on Wednesday. For the first time in eight years, the closely watched government work report contained no specific... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1442168/why-premier-li-keqiang-avoided-property-price-pledges-work-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1442168/why-premier-li-keqiang-avoided-property-price-pledges-work-report?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2014 15:15:00 +0000 Speculation there is a hidden meaning behind Premier Li Keqiang's omission of two of Hong Kong's constitutional principles from his maiden work report deepened yesterday as Beijing's third-in-command cryptically advised Hongkongers to "cautiously interpret" the implications of their absence. The advice from National People's Congress leader Zhang Dejiang , Beijing's man in charge of Hong Kong and Macau affairs, was made in a meeting with the city's 36 NPC deputies. On Wednesday, Li omitted the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1442166/what-li-keqiang-omitting-hong-kong-principles-report-may-mean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1442166/what-li-keqiang-omitting-hong-kong-principles-report-may-mean?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2014 15:00:15 +0000 What was meant to be a run-of-the-mill panel discussion on the government’s work report among art experts in the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference’s (CPPCC) turned into a grumbling session this week, as personalities like actor Jackie Chan and award-winning filmmaker Feng Xiaogang criticised censorship in the country. Feng urged the authorities to give directors more freedom, saying: “Don’t make directors tremble with fear every day like [they’re] walking on thin ice.” Is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1441938/jackie-chan-artists-launch-tirade-against-film-censorship-during-cppcc?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1441938/jackie-chan-artists-launch-tirade-against-film-censorship-during-cppcc?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2014 10:30:00 +0000 Beijing's top official on Hong Kong affairs has acknowledged for the first time that the city's capacity for mainland tourists is a matter of concern for the central government. National People's Congress head Zhang Dejiang - the nation's third most powerful politician - told a closed meeting of Hong Kong delegates at the annual NPC session in Beijing yesterday that the problem had been "taken note of". Zhang said the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council and the China National... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1441953/npc-chairman-warns-against-western-style-democracy-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1441953/npc-chairman-warns-against-western-style-democracy-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2014 10:15:15 +0000 In unusual backchat during normally serious National People’s Congress proceedings, one of China’s most powerful officials, anti-corruption chief Wang Qishan, admitted to watching South Korean soap operas. During a panel discussion with NPC's Beijing delegates, in which a performing arts director talked about the challenges facing the Chinese arts, Wang piped in with a comment on a hugely successful Korean show whose popularity has transcended borders. “Have you all seen that trendy online drama... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1441841/chinas-anti-graft-tsar-has-something-confess-i-watch-popular-korean-tv?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1441841/chinas-anti-graft-tsar-has-something-confess-i-watch-popular-korean-tv?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2014 07:15:00 +0000 Signs that the Chinese government’s fight against excess is in full force could not be escaped at this year’s toned-down Chinese parliamentary meetings. Some delegates were asked by organisers to bring their own toothbrushes, slippers and daily necessities instead of relying on hotel accoutrements. Many delegations from the provinces and cities chose to forgo chartered flights and travelled coach or by train to Beijing. No red carpets, no flowers, no welcome banners - these are good... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1441769/bring-your-own-toothbrush-austerity-drive-seen-little-details-npc-cppcc?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1441769/bring-your-own-toothbrush-austerity-drive-seen-little-details-npc-cppcc?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2014 06:15:00 +0000 The central government will adopt a broad strategy to tackle China's environmental decline, including cutting emissions and relying more on renewable energy, but a green group said the announced measures didn't go far enough. Premier Li Keqiang said the expansion of smogaffected areas was "nature's red-light warning against inefficient and blind development". The country would limit coal use, increase its reliance on hydropower, start constructing new nuclear plants and develop deposits of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1441387/beijing-wage-broad-smog-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1441387/beijing-wage-broad-smog-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Mar 2014 20:21:25 +0000 The leadership has signalled it will try to gradually rebalance the mainland economy away from its dependence on investment in real estate, factories and other fixed assets that have inflated a property market bubble. Premier Li Keqiang stressed the government was committed to structural economic reforms. He said the daily trading band within which the yuan is allowed to float would be widened this year as part of market liberalisation efforts. Analysts said reforms would take years to bear... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1441386/li-keqiang-stresses-reducing-reliance-fixed-asset-investment-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1441386/li-keqiang-stresses-reducing-reliance-fixed-asset-investment-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Mar 2014 20:21:25 +0000 In the past 26 years, China has seen four premiers, each with markedly different styles. Li Peng was viewed as dull and stuttering, and Zhu Rongji as stern-faced but charismatic. Wen Jiabao liked to insert poems into his emotional speeches. As for Li Keqiang, many would regard his style as down-to-earth. As Premier Li read out his 32-page Government Work Report yesterday morning in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China is facing a new challenge that barely troubled his predecessors -... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1441389/li-keqiang-gives-straight-talk-npc-delegates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1441389/li-keqiang-gives-straight-talk-npc-delegates?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Mar 2014 20:21:25 +0000 Premier Li Keqiang's maiden work report raised questions about Hong Kong's promised "high degree of autonomy". This phrase and another key phrase in Beijing's post-handover mantra, "the people of Hong Kong governing Hong Kong", were left out for the first time since the last work report of then premier Zhu Rongji in 2003. In his final work report last year, Li's predecessor, Wen Jiabao, included both phrases. The omission was played down by several Beijing officials. Speaking later in Beijing,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1441388/what-premier-li-keqiang-didnt-say-about-hong-kong-key-autonomy-phrases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1441388/what-premier-li-keqiang-didnt-say-about-hong-kong-key-autonomy-phrases?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Mar 2014 20:15:30 +0000 Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's second in command and his former election chief both defended surveys conducted by the University of Hong Kong, after a property tycoon's son criticised the research as unpatriotic in front of national leaders. Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor praised the findings of opinion polls as useful to the governance of the city, in an apparent move to pre-empt any concerns about suppression of academic freedom. She suggested people who fell outside that area... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1441111/carrie-lam-fanny-law-speak-against-claim-unpatriotic-hku-polling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1441111/carrie-lam-fanny-law-speak-against-claim-unpatriotic-hku-polling?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Mar 2014 12:00:00 +0000 China left out major details from its domestic security budget this year, only announcing the total coming directly from central government of 205 billion yuan (HK$259 billion) and witholding what has usually been hundreds of billions in yuan more from the provinces and cities. After three years in a row in which the domestic security budget drew headlines for exceeding the fast-growing military budget, the government this year did not publicise the overall figure despite a stepped-up focus on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1440946/china-withholds-full-details-2014-domestic-security-budget?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1440946/china-withholds-full-details-2014-domestic-security-budget?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Mar 2014 07:45:00 +0000 Li Xiaolin, the daughter of former Chinese premier Li Peng, surprised her critics this week after she was snapped carrying a cloth bag to a session at the annual convention of a national political consultancy body in Beijing. She now heads China Power International Development (CPI), and is known for her expensive tastes and her luxury attire. CPI is a Hong Kong-listed subsidiary of the State owned giant China Power Investment Corporation.  Yet a photo published by Chinese newspapers on Tuesday... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1440805/ex-premiers-daughters-low-profile-debut-cppcc-surprises-critics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1440805/ex-premiers-daughters-low-profile-debut-cppcc-surprises-critics?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Mar 2014 06:00:30 +0000 White smoke and foam left by fire extinguishers were the only signs of a confrontation in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square Wednesday morning, amid tight security for the National People's Congress. Five eyewitnesses close to the scene told the South China Morning Post how a commotion erupted near Tiananmen Gate, the main entrance to the Forbidden City, at around 11am. Shortly afterwards smoke could be seen rising from the square.  “I had a glance that four, five men trying to put out a fire,” said a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1440862/disturbance-and-smoke-tiananmen-square-amid-tight-security-npc?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1440862/disturbance-and-smoke-tiananmen-square-amid-tight-security-npc?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Mar 2014 04:45:45 +0000