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.

Thursday, February 03, 2005

February 3, 2005

Top news of the day

June 4th – EU arms bans
EU finalises plan to lift arms embargo on China
Financial Times, February 3, 2005
Despite US discontent, EU is close to finalize the move to replace the current arms embargo on China with a transparent arms export system, which focuses on a set of code of conducts on arms sales of EU countries.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/23cb9d6e-753c-11d9-9608-00000e25
11c8.html


News
Bilaterals - US/China
US-China complications, contradictions
Asia Times.com, 3 February 2005
US and Chinese diplomats met this week in Beijing to discuss a wide range of issues, including Taiwan and North Korea. The United States and China are at odds over Taiwan, but agree that North Korea should not have nuclear weapons.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/GB04Ad01.html

Children – abuse (trafficking)
China Rescues 44 Babies from Traffickers-Media
Reuters via YahooNews.com, February 2, 2005
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20050203
/wl_nm/china_babies_dc

Corruption
Anti-corruption agency reshuffled
Xinhuanet.com, February 2, 2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-02/02/content_25400
76.htm

Education
Education policy 'closes door on poor'
SCMP, February 3, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZRGP9HJ3E.html

Gender
Conflicts between law and school marriage ban
高校“禁育”规定与法律冲突
Legal Daily, February 3, 2005
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/bm/2005-02/03/content_18558
5.htm

Human Rights – bilateral ties
Editorial: China – Put human rights, economic ties in same basket
Ottawa Business Journal, February 2, 2005
http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/296118611593057.php

June 4th – prisoners – Zhao Ziyang (趙紫陽)
Petitioners arrested and sent to education through labour camps for mourning Zhao
祭奠的访民纷纷被劳教和拘捕
Dajiyuan.com, February 3, 2005
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/5/2/3/n802357.htm

Labour – income level
It's Chinese New Year. Will workers get paid?
Christian Science Monitor, February 1, 2005
http://search.csmonitor.com/search_content/0201/p07s02-woa
p.html

Law – legal reform
Media proposes severe punishments on gamblers in the revised Criminal Law
媒体建议修正刑法 剥夺赌博犯罪严重者政治权利
Chinesenewsnet.com, February 3, 2005
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews/Main
land/zxs_2005-02-03_536689.shtml

Media - Censorship
China and Cuba Jail Most Journalists - Report
Reuters, Feb 3, 2005
China jails more journalists than any other country and, along with Cuba, Eritrea and Myanmar, accounts for more than three quarters of journalists imprisoned around the world, a new report showed on Thursday. For the sixth year in a row, China was the leading jailer of journalists, with 42 imprisoned.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=industryNews&storyID=7530933

Population – one-child policy
Sex identification of unborn babies outlawed in Hunan from March
湖南：从3月1日起禁止鉴定胎儿性别
CYOL.net, February 3, 2005
http://news.cyol.com/gb/news/2005-02/03/content_1028370.htm

Rural issues - taxation
China pledges to lift wealth of its peasants
International Herald Tribune, February 3, 2005
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/02/02/news/china.html

China Promises Farmers Higher Subsidies
Associated Press, February 3, 2003
BEIJING - China is promising farmers lower taxes and higher subsidies in its latest effort to raise rural incomes and ease burdens that have sparked violent protests.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050203/ap_on_bi_ge/china_agriculture

Three Gorges
Three Gorges work suspended after watchdog bites
SCMP, February 3, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZZL7BHJ3E.html

Tibet
Proportion of Tibetans in civil services decreased?
西藏藏人政府职员比例是否下降？
Voice of America, February 2, 2005
A recent study revealed that the proportion of Tibetans holding government official position in Tibet had dropped drastically, raising concerns on discriminative civil services recruitment policy against Tibetans.
http://www1.voanews.com/Chinese/article.cfm?objectID=248184
A5-46E0-4D56-9CA9C62AED5A4C42&title=%CE%F7%B2%D8%B
2%D8%C8%CB%D5%FE%B8%AE%D6%B0%D4%B1%B1%C8%C0%
FD%CA%C7%B7%F1%CF%C2%BD%B5%A3%BF%2805%C4%EA2
%D4%C22%C8%D5%29&catOID=C283D8A3-4AB3-11D5-8EC200
9027ACC5C2&categoryname=National%20News

China president stresses support for Panchen Lama
Reuters, Feb 3, 2005
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Hu Jintao underscored Communist Party support on Thursday for the boy Beijing recognises as Tibet's second-most important religious figure despite a different choice by the Dalai Lama.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=7527663&type=topNews