The HRIC Daily Brief is a daily selection of news stories and commentary related to human rights in China, drawn from Chinese- and English-language news and online media sources that we monitor daily. In addition to headlines and source links, HRIC also provides English translation of Chinese headlines.

Friday, February 09, 2018

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Chinese court says employers should not treat workers differently based on gender identity
Hong Kong Free Press, February 8, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/02/08/chinese-court-says-employers-not-treat-workers-differently-based-gender-identity/

公开悼念六四被控寻衅滋事 江苏史庭福压力下庭上认罪 (Rights defender Shi Tingfu, who gave public speech about June Fourth in Nanjing, pleads guilty to “picking quarrels”)
Radio Free Asia, February 8, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/gf1-02082018095658.html

China to try outspoken Nanjing journalist for “subversive” social media posts
公民记者孙林披露被强制喂“药”
Radio Free Asia, February 8, 2018
EN: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/journalist-02082018110023.html
CH: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/ql2-02082018102809.html

A closer look at China’s “struggle” against gang crime
The Diplomat, February 8, 2018
https://thediplomat.com/2018/02/a-closer-look-at-chinas-struggle-against-gang-crime/

湖北作家熊飞骏取保候审期满立遭起诉 (Hubei writer Xiong Feijun officially charged after detention and year-long bail)
Radio Free Asia, February 8, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/ql1-02082018102648.html

《关于加快推进司法行政改革的意见》涉及5方面85项改革 (Ministry of Justice issues opinions on accelerating and promoting judicial administration reforms that include building a “socialist judicial system”)
Legal Daily, February 8, 2018
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/index_article/content/2018-02/08/content_7471463.htm

最高人民法院发布行政诉讼法司法解释 (Supreme People’s Court issues Interpretations for Administrative Procedure Law: administrative organs cannot be sued over petitions-related issues)
Supreme People’s Court, February 7, 2018
http://www.court.gov.cn/zixun-xiangqing-80542.html

Corruption inquiry draws nearer to former Chinese prime minister
溫家寶家族商業合伙人段偉紅被拘留
The New York Times, February 7, 2018
EN: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/07/world/asia/china-whitney-duan-weihong.html
CH: https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20180208/china-whitney-duan-weihong/zh-hant/

Access to Information (信息公开)

教育部:对有违反师德行为研究生导师,实行一票否决 (Ministry of Education says supervisor of postgraduate students should have ethics and maintain socialist ways of teaching, offenders will be punished)
The Beijing News, February 9, 2018
http://www.bjnews.com.cn/news/2018/02/09/475946.html

Sponsors flee Chinese rap acts amid fears of censors crackdown
Agence France-Presse, February 8, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2132549/sponsors-flee-chinese-rap-acts-amid-fears-censors-crackdown

国家新闻出版广电总局重拳出击 整治网上低俗视听节目 (State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television hammers “vulgar” content on online video platforms)
People.com.cn, February 8, 2018
http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0208/c1001-29814289.html

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

中国曹顺利人权团队在上海的部分人权捍卫者第25次上街举牌敦促当局立即批准《公民权利和政治权利国际公约》和要求官员公开财产 (For the 25th time, Shanghai rights defenders urge ICCPR ratification and asset transparency of government officials)
Weiquanwang, February 8, 2018
http://wqw2010.blogspot.hk/2018/02/25.html

湖北省3258位民代幼教师联名向国务院李克强总理上书 (3,258 teachers in Hubei petition to Premier Li Keqiang for social insurance contributions and medical care)
Weiquanwang, February 8, 2018
http://wqw2010.blogspot.hk/2018/02/3258.html

安徽失地农民争赔偿 代表被地方政府定为黑社会 (Anhui peasants demand remedies for land grabbing, local government proclaims representatives of peasants are “mafia”)
Radio Free Asia, February 8, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/zhengzhi/yf2-02082018101954.html

Government Accountability (政府问责)

国办印发《基本公共服务领域中央与地方共同财政事权和支出责任划分改革方案》 (State Council issues reform proposal of budgeting and expenditure accountability between central and local government on basic public services)
People’s Daily, February 9, 2018
http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0209/c1001-29814317.html

China is in a muddle over population policy
The Economist, February 8, 2018
https://www.economist.com/news/china/21736574-two-child-rule-still-applies-officials-know-more-babies-are-needed-not-fewer-china

Unholy war of words breaks out over Vatican rapprochement with China
梵中接近 教廷内部批评声四起
Reuters, February 8, 2018
EN: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-china/unholy-war-of-words-breaks-out-over-vatican-rapprochement-with-china-idUSKBN1FS2F4
CH: https://goo.gl/sEmygb

National Security & Counterterrorism (国家安全和反恐)

South China Sea photos suggest a military building spree by Beijing
中國南海軍事工程詳盡細節首次曝光
The New York Times, February 8, 2018
EN: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/08/world/asia/south-china-seas-photos.html
CH: https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20180209/south-china-seas-photos/zh-hant/

Hong Kong (香港)

Illegal structures saga for Hong Kong’s justice chief comes to a close, as pan-dems plan to grill her fizzles out
South China Morning Post, February 9, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2132624/illegal-structures-saga-hong-kongs-justice-chief-comes-close

再揭中梵建交黑幕 陳日君:佢哋喺教宗背後做狡猾嘅嘢 (Retired cardinal Joseph Zen reveals more details in Vatican-China relations, saying people are scheming behind the Pope’s back)
Apple Daily, February 9, 2018
https://hk.news.appledaily.com/local/realtime/article/20180209/57809156

China asks Hong Kong to goose-step into line
Financial Times, February 9, 2018
https://www.ft.com/content/2b070b56-0d52-11e8-839d-41ca06376bf2

Poverty rate rises among Hong Kong ethnic minorities to a fifth, says gov’t report
Hong Kong Free Press, February 8, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/02/08/poverty-rate-rises-among-hong-kong-ethnic-minorities-fifth-says-govt-report/

Commentary (评论)

Will Wang Qishan become Xi Jinping’s go-to man as Chinese vice-president?
South China Morning Post, February 9, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2132567/will-wang-qishan-become-xi-jinpings-go-man-chinese-vice

在这个历史站点,我们可以期许什么? (At this historical moment, what can we expect?)
Financial Times, February 9, 2018
http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001076305?full=y

Malaysia: Don’t send 11 detainees to China
Human Rights Watch, February 9, 2018
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/02/09/malaysia-dont-send-11-detainees-china

湯蘭蘭案:「官家」內戰,羅生門裏的中國輿論場 (How the coverage of a sexual assault case reveals the competition amongst media outlets and dynamics of different factions within the CPC)
The Initium, February 9, 2018
https://theinitium.com/article/20180209-opinion-yeungshan-china-media/

China loves Trump
The Atlantic, February 8, 2018
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/03/trump-china/550886/

Who made Xi Jinping Pope?
The Wall Street Journal, February 8, 2018
https://www.wsj.com/articles/who-made-xi-jinping-pope-1518135308

Related:
Why the Pope is genuflecting to China
The New York Times, February 8, 2018
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/08/opinion/pope-china-deal-vatican.html