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.

Monday, August 01, 2005

July 30-Aug 1, 2005

Top News of the day

Media - Press freedom/censorship / Public Health
Hong Kong media reports Beijing blocking media coverage on the spread of pig-borne disease
港媒体：北京限制猪链球菌病报导
Voice of America, 31/07/2005
Hong Kong media reported that China blocked media coverage on the spread of pig-borne disease, which led to 34 death and 174 people infected.
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/w2005-07-31-voa23.cfm


Religion - Christianity
Underground churches in Fujian harassed by police again
中國地下天主教會再度遭到打壓
BBC.com (Chinese), 31/07/2005
A priest of an underground church in Fujian Lin Daixian (林戴先) was reportedly taken away by police on July 25 while he was giving a mass in the house of a follower.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/trad/hi/newsid_4720000
/newsid_4725000/4725003.stm


News

Bilaterals - US/China
China, US hold first strategic dialogue
Xinhua, August 1, 2005
http://www2.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/01/content
_465318.htm

Borders Territories/Issues - Taiwan
Peace, but not at any price for PLA
AFP, Reuters, SCMP, August 1, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZEE68MQBE.html

Corporate Social Responsibility
Businesses reminded of social responsibility
China Daily, 01/08/2005
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/
01/content_465037.htm

Death Penalty
Former NPC representative sentenced to death for corruption
全国人大代表桑粤春涉黑案终审 维持一审判死刑
China News Agency, 01/08/2005
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/news/2005/2005-07-
30/26/606098.shtml

Detention – Yu Huafeng (喻華峰)
Journalist jailed for eight years loses appeal
SCMP, 01/08/2005
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZMNWIMQBE.html

Premier Wen answers the pledge of the wife of detailed journalist Yu Huafeng
南都案喻华峰妻子收温家宝回复
Dajiyuan.com, 01/08/2005
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/5/8/1/n1003882.htm

Detention – Wang Bingzhang (王炳章)
Son pleads for sick dissident's release
SCMP, 01/08/2005
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZIE68MQBE.html

Detention - Li Jianping (李建平)
RSF urge China to release dissident writer Li Jianping
记者无国界呼吁中国释放李建平
Voice of America, 29/07/2005
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/w2005-07-29-voa42.cfm

Education
China's elite education makes children suffer somewhat
Shanghai Star, August 1, 2005
http://www2.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/01/content
_465292.htm

Environment - Natural Resources
China's Power Supply Expected to Remain Tight
Asia Pulse, August 1, 2005
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/050801/4/24wgu.html

Environment - Natural Resources
Excessive packaging environmental woes
China Daily, August 1, 2005
http://www2.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/01/content
_465038.htm

China to draft law for circular economy
Xinhua, July 31, 2005
http://www2.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-07/31/content
_464904.htm

Human Rights - Human rights defenders
Political dissident Xie Wei (薛伟) allowed to stay in Hong Kong for no more than 24 hours for US transit
民运人士薛伟进入香港 只获准停留24小时
Chinesenewsnet.com, 30/07/2005
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews
/Mainland/cna_2005_07_30_02_50_17_804.html

Human Rights - Human rights defenders
Four prominent political dissidents received award from China Democracy Education Fund
中国民主教育基金会公布获奖名单 严家其等四人榜上有名
Radio Free Asia, 31/07/2005
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/xinwen/2005/07/31/jijinhui/

Land / Law
Cases of five type of land disputes must be accepted by courts, say Supreme People's Court
最高法院出台新规 5类土地纠纷法院必须受理
Chinesenewsnet.com, 30/07/2005
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews
/Mainland/xhw_2005_07_29_19_55_19_643.html

Law - Governance
New tax law needed to narrow income gap
China Daily, August 1, 2005
http://www2.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/01/content
_465045.htm

Law - Legal reform
Third draft Amendment for the Civil Procedure Law set to submit to NPC for review
法学家提出民事诉讼法修改建议稿近日将提交人大
China News Agency, 30/07/2005
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/news/2005/2005-07-30
/26/606033.shtml

Media - Internet
Blogs Under Its Thumb
BusinessWeek Online, 01/08/2005
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/
05_32/b3946073.htm?chan=gb

Media - Press freedom/censorship
Warning over curbs on media
SCMP, 30/07/2005
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZZ148MQBE.html

Protests and Petitions
Beijing warns against abusing petition system to disrupt order
SCMP, 01/08/2005
http://www.scmp.com/topnews/ZZZHB68MQBE.html

Senior official of State Bureau of Letters and Complaints reports progress in the implementation of new petition law
国家信访局负责人就信访条例施行情况答问(全文)
China News Agency, 30/07/2005
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/news/2005/2005-07-30/26/
606092.shtml

Public Health
Medical reform "in need of reform"
Xinhuanet.com, 30/07/2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-07/30/content_
3286233.htm

Guangzhou halts sales of Sichuan pork
SCMP, August 1, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZQF68MQBE.html

Action plan to guarantee food safety
Xinhua, July 30, 2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-07/30/content_3
286231.htm

Pig disease found in five more cities
China Daily, July 30, 2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-07/30/content_3
286227.htm

China works on educating farmers as pig disease death toll rises to 36
AFP, August 1, 2005
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050801/hl_
afp/chinahealthdisease_050801143225

China rushes in pig flu vaccine
Reuters, July 31, 2005
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/07/31/china.mystery
.disease.reut/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Religion - Christianity
Conflicting views in the government over the fast-growing Christians in China
中共基督徒上亿 政府内部有分歧
Voice of America, 31/07/2005
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/w2005-07-31-voa50.cfm

Resettlement - Forceful eviction
Villagers Still Occupy Disputed Land After Inner Mongolia Clashes
Radio Free Asia, 27/07/2005
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/2005/07/27/china_clashes/

Rural Issues
Farmers rights focus of legal clarification
Xinhuanet.com, 01/08/2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-07/30/content_3286
237.htm

Society
Mainland poor left out in the cold despite housing promises
SCMP, 01/08/2005
http://focus.scmp.com/focusnews/ZZZ9O1JMQBE.html

Unveil beggar village in Gansu: beggars can build a luxury house after 4 years in the begging business
揭密甘肃“乞讨村”：乞讨4年盖起豪华新房(图)
YahooNew.com (China), 31/07/2005
http://cn.news.yahoo.com/050730/755/2e288.html

State Security - Spying
Ministry of State Security officials talk about "spying" on net-chat
北京国家安全局官员首次网聊谈间谍案件
Chinesenewsnet.com, 30/07/2005
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews/
Mainland/xhw_2005_07_29_20_55_21_202.html

Women - Sex Exploitation
AIDS Patient Jailed for 5 Years for Rape
Xinhua, August 1, 2005
http://china.org.cn/english/China/137022.htm