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October 7, 2007 (Sunday) － Issue No. 121 |
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China's Rural Poverty Line Far Below International Standard |
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Chinese
Authorities Admit Issues with Three Gorges Dam |
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Higher
Education in Mainland China in Debt: 200 Billion Yuan |
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Supplies 99.9 Percent of U.S. Stimulants There are 35 Chinese factories providing raw materials for underground labs in the United States to produce illegal stimulants that are banned for sports competitors....…Full Article |
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Chinese Regime Manipulates Taiwan's Demand for Independence A quick retrospect of Chinese modern history tells us that Chiang Kai-shek fought for "one China" all his life; however, never for a minute did the CCP give up the intention of overthrowing and eliminating him......…Full Article |
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The China Development Research Foundation (CDRF) recently released China's National Development Report for 2007. The report points out that the population of poor in China's rural areas may be largely underestimated based upon China's official poverty line of 680 yuan ($91) annual per capita net income. The internationally accepted standard definition of a poor person is one whose daily income is one US dollar or less. In terms of Chinese yuan (Renminbi), those who earn 2,500 yuan (US$333) or less annually in China should be categorized as poor. However, the poverty line set by Chinese authorities is approximately one-fourth the standard set by the international standard. Some researchers suggest that the current Chinese ratio of the poverty line to rural net per capita income is the lowest in the world. Doubt is therefore being cast on the rationality of China's poverty line standard. According to the experts who worked on the report, the current Chinese poverty line may well be considered as the "survival-related poverty line," which reflects only the income level that a poor person should attain in order to survive. Apart from basic survival, the "development-related poverty line" should be considered, which indicates what the minimum income level is for one to receive a basic education and Medicare. If these aspects were taken into consideration, the report says, the Chinese rural farmers' development-related poverty line for 2005 would have been set at 1,147 yuan ($153). Mr. Fang Jue, a Chinese political commentator living in the U.S., pointed out that the Chinese regime deliberately sets a low poverty line standard. "I am of the opinion that China's poverty line standard is consciously, instead of unconsciously, set low. Its purpose is to cover up the widening gap in China between poor and rich, and also to conceal the Chinese regime's serious mistakes in poverty eradication. China sets a poverty line "defined according to Chinese characteristics," which is only one fourth of the international poverty line standard. This is an act to fool Chinese people and the international community," said Fang Jue. Fang continued, "China's poor population actually totals 150 million to 200 million, using the internationally accepted one US dollar per day guideline. This enormous number is much more than the Chinese official estimate. Therefore, poverty reduction still has a long way to go in China, and it will take the Chinese regime a very long time to correct its mistakes in poverty alleviation." Dr. Cheng Chuyuan, professor of Economics at Indiana's Ball State University, said that the Chinese authorities should make massive efforts to improve rural farmers' lives. Dr. Cheng commented, "One dollar only helps one stay alive. One dollar maintains survival rather than a minimum standard of well-being in life. What if one is sick? The widening gap between poor and rich should also cover problems concerning Medicare and environmental pollution. If there is no food to eat and clean water to drink, one dollar serves no purpose. China should make vigorous efforts to improve rural living conditions." Dysfunctional
public services in China's rural areas have overburdened the rural
poor with excessive medical and educational expenses. Medical and
educational expenses are a "new contributor to poverty,"
according to a member of the China Reform Foundation. The huge burden
of medical expenses, in particular, changes rural poverty for the
worse.Back On September 25, a meeting was held in Wuhan City, Hubei Province in which senior officials and experts discussed ecological and environmental construction and protection in the Three Gorges Dam Project. Experts said there are many preexisting as well as new ecological and environmental issues caused by the Three Gorges Project. Disaster could develop if immediate action isn't taken, they said. Wang Weiluo, a renowned hydro-scientist and Zheng Yi, a famous writer, accepted an interview with The Epoch Times on September 28. They said Chinese authorities only partially admit the issues, which already suggests the situation of the Three Gorges Dam has become very serious and the authorities won't be able to cover it up. The reason that some officials and experts reveal such issues is that they are afraid they'll have to take responsibility in the future. Authorities Not
Able to Conceal Issues of the Three Gorges Dam Officials Try
to Avoid Responsibility Serious Water
Pollution and Huge Economic Loss Serious Issues
of The Three Gorges: Sedimentation Hampers Shipping Serious Landslides,
Great Possibility of Prompting Violent Earthquake Endangering the
Lives and Property of Migrants Wang Weiluo pointed
out that there are no anti-earthquake facilities in the old or new
buildings built for the residents living around the reservoir area.
Should the dam or reservoir cause any earthquake, flood, rock collapse,
landslide or mudslide, it will cause significant damage to people's
lives and property. The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.
Back On September 18, Sydney's Chinese consulate invited guests to a feast in celebration of the arrival of the Global Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics arriving in Sydney. Meanwhile, people from the China Affairs Organization and the China Democratic Support Foundation held a demonstration outside the Chinese consulate. They chanted, "People want human rights, not the Olympics," and "Democracy and human rights are more important than the Olympics." Their intention was to disseminate a clear understanding of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) evil nature to the Australian people and encourage them to keep a distance. Chen Yonglin, China's former diplomat, said that the CCP's efforts to use the Olympics as a forefront to maintain and legitimize its role are in vain. The following is based on the recording of his talk. As a former consul for political affairs and first secretary of the Chinese consulate in Sydney, Chen had a thorough understanding of the CCP's evil nature. He stated the CCP once again took advantage of the Olympics to shamelessly glorify itself. His purpose for participating in the demonstration was to expose the CCP. "The Global Law Enforcement Torch Run was used by the Chinese consulate to shamelessly glorify the CCP regime and to present a facade of peace and prosperity. My purpose for being here is to publicly expose the CCP's human rights violations and unlawful incarcerations of political dissidents. I am here to expose its evil nature." "Now public complaints in China are boiling over into violent protests. In particular, the common folk are fighting for their property rights, social injustice is causing many social problems, and thousands are making appeals due to the injustices done to them. Chen stated that there are growing concerns within the CCP over the Global Human Rights Torch Relay. Facing a threat of a boycott against the Olympics, the CCP is squandering its people's money by advertising the Olympics abroad. "This is totally against people's will." Since his defection from the CCP in 2005, Chen has been making efforts to support human rights activities and help secure the release of imprisoned dissidents. The CCP's promise to improve its human rights is a lie, he says. The human rights situation in China is worsening. "In 2001 the CCP pledged to improve China's human rights if it were granted the right to host the 2008 Olympics. However, the fact is that human rights situations in China have been deteriorating. My hometown is in Zhejiang Province. There is a large group of pro-democracy activists, including such conscientious people as writer, Yan Zhengxue, who was arrested last year," Chen concluded. The Global Law
Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics can be traced back
25 years. This year the CCP first added the international torch relay
for the purpose of advertisement. In actuality, China's human rights
situation and its control over freedom of the press are sparking criticism
from the international community as the countdown for the Olympics
begins. Reporters Without Borders has replaced the Olympic five rings
with five handcuffs to serve as a warning to the international community
that the agenda of the Beijing Olympics is contradictory to the primary
goal of the Olympics.Back On September 12, Chinese Minister of Education Zhou Ji admitted for the first time that higher education institutions in the country are facing a debt of over 200 billion yuan. He also recognized that corruption among officials has played a key role in this issue. Chen Zhili, the former Minister of Education, has long been blamed for the huge debt facing China's current education system. Nine years ago, former president, Jiang Zemin appointed Chen Zhili, who had no prior experience in education, as the Minister of Education. The fact that the corruption was revealed right before the 17th National Party Congress signifies the inner political power struggle in China and the target of the "anticorruption" drives, Jiang Zemin. Universities Bankrupt Since 1999, in order to accommodate increased enrollment, many universities borrowed money to construct or build new campuses. Construction costs account for more than 80 percent of the debts. However, corruption is rampant at many universities, and loopholes in construction costs, procurement and admission fees are used. In 2005, six out of every seven cadres investigated in Shanxi Province were found guilty of bribery involving construction costs and were dismissed. Many believe that a number of universities have already gone bankrupt. Impeachment of
the Former Minister of Education Chen was nicknamed "Europe and America Tour Ambassador" by the presidents of several universities including Tsinghua University and Beijing University. On numerous occasions, these university presidents requested that Chen be removed from office. They indicated that these higher education institutes are the foundational resources and national pillars of society. However, Chen Zhili's so-called "long-term economic vision" turned these resources into a filthy business exchange with escalating tuition, forged diplomas, "diplomas for sale," and much more. Zero Operating
Funds And yet, Chen
Zhili made very little investment in education. According to a State
Education Supervision Committee Report in 2005, there was zero per
capita funding from the State budget to elementary schools in 163
counties and junior high schools in 142 counties. The operation of
the schools relied solely on the tuition fees. Under such extreme
and embarrassing conditions, unlawful tuitions seemed to be the only
way for the schools to survive. Back The Voice of America (VOA) reported on September 24 that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confirmed that 99.9% of stimulants imported into the United States are from China. There are 35 Chinese factories providing raw materials for underground labs in the United States to produce illegal stimulants that are banned for sports competitors. Experts believe that the information in the report is especially sensitive as China is going to host the 2008 Olympics, and this creates another challenge for them. Observers are waiting to see whether the Chinese Communist authorities will take action, and even if they do, will they be able to enforce the law? Tracing Illegal
Stimulants to China It is reported that the United States started raiding underground labs for illegally producing stimulants in Mexico. At that time, 80 percent of stimulants in the United States came from Mexico, but Chinese factories provided the raw materials to them. After the Mexican labs were shut down, China shipped the raw materials directly to underground labs in the United States. Former Prosecutor of Anhui Procuratorate, Mr. Shen Liangqing, said that the report has a direct bearing on the Olympics. It is an extension of the international community's monitoring of China's production of various foods containing poisonous substances.. It is also an aspect that the international community's supervision of the host of the 2008 Olympics must take into account. A well-known political commentator, Mr. Wu Fan, said that the CCP authorities not only ignore the production of drugs in China, but they probably collude with the drug factories, since in China both businessmen and officials are driven by benefits. Wu further stated, "If there are problems with manufacturing and providing stimulants, China's hopes of hosting the 2008 Olympics will be in vain. Therefore, under the supervision of the international societies, the CCP might take action to deal with the drug manufacturing and view it as a political task. We will have to wait and see." Tolerating Its
Own Nature "The dictatorship of the CCP has granted its leadership level cadre many privileges and thus creates serious problems of corruption, which directly influences the government's capabilities of administration, law-enforcement, and even legislation. Many officials, including the directors of the Public Security Bureau, become the heads of gangsters. Therefore, even though the government wants to improve, it is impotent." Mr. Shen said. “Overall, the political system is itself the problem." Back Chinese
Regime Manipulates Taiwan's Demand for Independence Back A quick retrospect of Chinese modern history tells us that Chiang Kai-shek fought for "one China" all his life; however, never for a minute did the CCP give up the intention of overthrowing and eliminating him. That opposition to Chiang Kai-shek prompted the founding of the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan. I knew of this when I was still in China. This was later confirmed by a DDP member who immigrated to the United States to escape persecution from the Nationalist Party. In its earlier years, the DDP received most of its funds from the CCP. Unexpectedly, the DDP later turned against the CCP. Lee Teng-hui, once a communist, succeeded Chiang Ching-kuo as Taiwan's president. One of his first official acts was to initiate a program for national unity on May 1, 1991, terminating the mobilization for the suppression of communist rebellion and ending the state of war across the Taiwan Strait. At the time, freedom-loving nations around the world were punishing communist China for the Tiananmen Square slaughter, and the CCP was on the verge of total political and economic collapse. At that critical moment for the Chinese regime, it was the Taiwan government led by Lee Teng-hui that called upon Taiwan business people to invest in China. However, Lee Teng-hui soon became the CCP's target. This was because he promoted democracy in Taiwan by pushing for presidential elections in the island nation, which in turn was a direct threat to the dictatorship in China. As a result, the CCP and Lee Teng-hui parted ways, although at one time, both advocated the "one China" policy. Lee then developed his two-state theory, actively arguing for handing political power in Taiwan to the DPP. Democratic Progressive Party Painted As a Threat The triumph of the DPP in Taiwan's presidential elections should be viewed as an advance in democracy on the island with extremely far and deep significance for the people in China. Terrified of the impact of this democratic ideology, the communist government has been adamant in depicting the DPP an enemy. The intent was to stifle the voices of the people in China who were demanding that the communist government copy the democracy in Taiwan. This objective could not be accomplished, however, by directly opposing democracy in Taiwan. The CCP's method was to build a negative portrayal of Taiwan's demand for independence. This in turn would stir the Chinese people's national sentiments against such independence, thus stopping the tide of democracy in Taiwan from threatening the dictatorial regime in China. The CCP has been highly successful in this respect—the people's voice for independence in Taiwan is increasing every year. In the final analysis, it is the Chinese regime that has meticulously driven Taiwan toward independence by heightening the sense of abhorrence and fear toward the communist government in China. The CCP has done this with one purpose: It wants to stamp out the fire for democracy in China and sustain its dictatorial rule in China. If we are clear on this point, we will know that whoever rules in Taiwan will be the CCP's enemy. Back |
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