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, November 08, 2013

Animal Welfare and Rights (动物福利和权利)

Animal protection remains elusive in China
The New York Times, November 6, 2013
http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/amid-reports-of-dog-fighting-animal-protection-remains-elusive-in-china/

Corruption (腐败)

透明国际清廉奖授予中国记者罗昌平 (China journalist Luo Changping wins Transparency International’s Integrity Award)
Deutsche Welle, November 8, 2013
http://bit.ly/17RRXdR

Environment (环境)

专家:中国几乎所有污染物排放量世界第一 (Expert: China is world’s #1 emitter of nearly all pollutants)
China News Service , November 8, 2013
http://dzb.jinbaonet.com/html/2013-11/08/content_254774.htm?div=-1

Freedom of Expression and Privacy (言论自由和隐私)

记者节:中国记者在权钱压力下生存 (Journalist Day: China’s journalists pressured by both power and money)
British Broadcasting Corporation, November 8, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2013/11/131108_china_media_journalistday.shtml

Human Rights Defenders (人权卫士)

Chinese dissident Chen's brother in U.S. to check on "evil" claims
Radio Free Asia, November 7, 2013
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/stands-11072013123822.html

International Human Rights (国际人权)

Chinese citizens join call for excluding China from UN Rights Council
Epoch Times, November 7, 2013
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/349894-chinese-citizens-join-call-for-excluding-china-from-un-rights-council/

Land, Property, Housing (土地、财产、房屋)

Could China's farmers become landowners?
The Wall Street Journal, November 8, 2013
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304448204579185181505572944

Natural Resources (自然资源)

China eyes Antarctica's resource bounty
The Guardian, November 8, 2013
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/08/china-antarctica-trip-icebreaker-snow-dragon

Political and Economic Reform (政治经济改革)

Why China's Third Plenum matters
British Broadcasting Corporation, November 8, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-24846815

Key Party meeting to forge China's future, but don't expect major political reforms
South China Morning Post, November 8, 2013
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1350277/forging-chinas-future

Rule of Law (法治)

上海宣布建法治政府引网民质疑 (Chinese netizens mock and question Shanghai’s announcement to build a government based on rule of law)
British Broadcasting Corporation, November 8, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2013/11/131107_shanghai_government.shtml

See the announcement:
上海市力争在5年内率先基本建成法治政府
The Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China, November 7, 2013
hhttp://www.gov.cn/jrzg/2013-11/07/content_2523118.htm

Related Tencent Weibo posts:
REBIRTH , November 7, 2013 【上海力争5年内率先基本建成法治政府】今天最好笑的新闻!你们不是一直标榜你们是法治政府吗?这条新闻的言下之意就是:1-现在还不是。2-还没地方是。3-你们一直在说谎。4-五年基本建成,但不一定会建成。 [Shanghai strives to build the first government with rule of law within 5 years] This is the funniest news today! Has the government not flaunted itself as being one with rule of law? The implications of the news are: 1) Shanghai’s government is not yet one with rule of law. 2) No other governments are yet either. 3) The government has been lying all along. 4) There is no guarantee that a government with rule of law will be completed in five years.
http://t.qq.com/p/t/343442085461620

老头, November 8, 2013
无法无天64年,中国法治梦还要继续做五年![It’s been 64 years without law and order in China, and we have to dream our rule-of-law-in-China dream five more years!]
http://t.qq.com/p/t/233221074394686

Society (社会)

山西省委附近爆炸嫌疑人承认蓄意报复社会 (Explosion suspect arrested, confesses to “intentional retaliation against society”)
CCTV, November 8, 2013
http://news.qq.com/a/20131108/018120.htm

China plays down Shanxi blasts as work of “powerless extremists”
Radio Free Asia, November 7, 2013
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/blasts-11072013151745.html

Related Tencent Weibo posts:
高麟,November 8, 2013
应该说是报复政府吧,是政府对我们老百姓不公的。希望以后这样的是别伤着普通老百姓就是了,也希望别被抓住。 【评】山西省委附近爆炸嫌疑人承认蓄意报复社会 [It should be retaliation against the government. It is the government that is unjust to our people. I hope that if a similar thing happens again, ordinary people are not injured and the suspect is not caught.]
http://t.qq.com/p/t/332445006145698

大自然, November 8, 2013
他的罪大恶极不及醉警无端枪杀无辜孕妇的百分之一, 不及张磊民警枪杀两无辜村民的十分之一,不及醉警抢夺无辜婴儿摔地的十分之一,这些无辜死伤家属情绪都稳定吗?答案是永迈N0 坚持走邪路_为: 一个人能干那么大的事?[His guilt is less than one hundredth of that of a drunk police officer shooting an innocent pregnant woman; less than one tenth of that of police officer Zhang Lei who shot dead two innocent villagers; less than one tenth of that of a drunk police officer who threw a baby to the ground. Would the family members of these innocent victims ever be mentally stable? The answer is NO, never!] http://t.qq.com/p/t/309733029314035

Taiwan (台湾)

中国官媒评论为张悬举旗事件降温 (China’s official media commentary attempts to play down incident of Taiwanese singer hanging national flag)
British Broadcasting Corporation, November 8, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2013/11/131108_taiwan_china_chang.shtml

Related:
单仁平:张悬举旗风波应在民间自生自灭 (Global Times commentary: we should let these incidents of hanging a flag run their course naturally in society)
Global Times, November 8, 2013
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/opinion_china/2013-11/4543097.html

XUAR (新疆维吾尔自治区)

Tiananmen attack linked to police raid on a mosque in Xinjiang
天安门袭击者疑为报复清真寺被拆
The New York Times, November 7, 2013
http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20131108/c08xinjiang/dual/

Tightening the screws: deaths in Tiananmen Square unnerve leaders before a crucial gathering
The Economist, November 9, 2013
http://www.economist.com/news/china/21589449-deaths-tiananmen-square-unnerve-leaders-crucial-gathering-tightening-screws

Faster than a speeding bullet:China’s new rail network, already the world’s longest, will soon stretch considerably farther
The Economist, November 9, 2013
http://www.economist.com/news/china/21589447-chinas-new-rail-network-already-worlds-longest-will-soon-stretch-considerably-farther-faster

Opinion (观点)

不必对十八届三中全会抱过高期望 (We should not expect too much from the Third Party Plenary)
The New York Times, November 8, 2013
http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20131108/cc08wangqiang/