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, December 12, 2013

Environment (环境)

China’s rust belt cities hit with new air pollution fines
The Wall Street Journal, December 11, 2013
blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/12/11/new-air-pollution-fines-hit-chinas-rust-belt-cities/

Related:
Local officials to obsess less over growth
Xinhua, December 10, 2013
www.globaltimes.cn/content/831125.shtml#.UqkwEtIW3Sl

Human Rights Defenders ( 人权卫士)

Nelson Mandela and China: controversial legacy
The Economist, December 11, 2013
http://www.economist.com/blogs/analects/2013/12/nelson-mandela-and-china

Chinese paper rejects comparison between Mandela and Liu
Malay Mail Online, December 11, 2013
www.themalaymailonline.com/world/article/chinese-paper-rejects-comparison-between-mandela-and-liu#sthash.qyxbxPbz.dpuf

Health (健康)

Israelis to UN: “China must cease organ harvesting”
The Jewish Voice, December 11, 2013
http://jewishvoiceny.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6037:israelis-to-un-china-must-cease-organ-harvesting&catid=107:israel&Itemid=290

China eyes smoking ban
The Wall Street Journal, December 11, 2013
blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/12/11/china-eyes-smoking-ban/

Internet (互联网)

中国封锁翻墙软件Lantern 开发团队称将更新版本 (Developer is working on new version of Lantern, censorship circumvention software blocked by China)
Radio Free Asia, December 11, 2013
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/meiti/sy2-12112013100043.html

See the statement:
Lantern News, December 10, 2013
http://get-lantern.tumblr.com/post/69653304417/lantern-news-lantern

International Relations (Security, Trade and Investment) 国际关系(安全,贸易和投资)

Nelson Mandela and China: a controversial legacy
The Economist, December 11, 2013
www.economist.com/blogs/analects/2013/12/nelson-mandela-and-china

No soft-pedal on China rights - PM
News Guardian, December 12, 2013
www.newsguardian.co.uk/news/national/no-soft-pedal-on-china-rights-pm-1-6288971

International Human Rights (国际人权)

联合国歧视妇女问题工作组周四访华 外界呼吁关注感染艾滋妇女权益 (UN working group on the issue of discrimination against women to make first China visit)
Radio Free Asia, December 11, 2013
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/yf-12112013100150.html

Media (媒体)

New York Times warns China is subjecting foreign journalists to serious harassment
The Telegraph, December 11, 2013
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10512559/New-York-Times-warns-China-is-subjecting-foreign-journalists-to-serious-harassment.html

Natural Resources (自然资源)

A quiet start to South-North water transfer
中国南水北调一期工程低调投用
The New York Times, December 12, 2013
http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20131212/c12water/dual/

Political and Economic Reform (政治经济改革)

China puts former security chief under house arrest-sources
Reuters, December 11, 2013
www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/11/us-china-politics-zhou-idUSBRE9BA0C420131211

Related:
路透社:前政法大佬周永康被“监控” (Reuters: former security chief Zhou Yongkang under house arrest)
Voice of America, December 12, 2013
http://www.voachinese.com/content/reuters-zhou-yongkang-20131211/1808088.html

A leader in Mao’s Cultural Revolution faces his past
陈毅之子为文革而忏悔
The New York Times, December 12, 2013
http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20131212/c12chenxiaolu/dual/

Population (人口)

中国老龄化高峰临近挑战严峻 今年60岁老年人超2亿 (China faces severe challenges as aging population peaks, 60-year-olds number 200 million+)
Beijing News, December 12, 2013
http://www.bjnews.com.cn/news/2013/12/12/297166.html

Protests and Petitions (抗议和请愿)

12武汉强拆户人权日在北京集体自杀 (Twelve forced-evictees from Wuhan attempt group suicide in Beijing on Human Rights Day)
Radio Free Asia, December 11, 2013
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/xl-12112013100350.html

China residents drink pesticide in Beijing protest
Associated Press, December 11, 2013
www.vcstar.com/news/2013/dec/11/china-residents-drink-pesticide-in-beijing/

Religion (宗教)

旧城改造与古寺突围 福州瑞云寺拆迁困局调查 (Fuzhou temple built in 1896 faces demolition for urban development)
Phoenix TV website, December 7, 2013
http://fo.ifeng.com/news/detail_2013_12/07/31888498_0.shtml

Related Tencent Weibo post:
寿哥,(李福寿,作家,策划人,湖北云梦人。8年教...), December 11, 2013
胡作非为,天怒人怨。 || @叶檀: 为了方寸之地,些许溢价,丧尽天良  以后去寺庙、禅院,烧头柱香时  小心天眼天谴
http://t.qq.com/p/t/292997091525873

Society (社会)

China seen as "confident," "belligerent," and "arrogant"
Agence France-Presse, December 10, 2013
au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/world/a/20249360/china-seen-as-confident-belligerent-and-arrogant-state-media-poll/

Technology (科技)

China's hot messaging app WeChat may be good news for censors
Reuters, December 11, 2013
www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/11/us-china-censorship-tencent-idUSBRE9BA16M20131211

Women (妇女)

Survey finds many female workers experience sexual harassment
调查显示广州工厂女工多遭性骚扰
The New York Times, December 11, 2013
http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20131211/c11workers/dual/

See also:
Up to 70 percent of women factory workers in Guangzhou sexually harassed
China Labor Bulletin, December 6, 2013
www.clb.org.hk/en/content/70-percent-women-factory-workers-guangzhou-sexually-harassed

Opinion (观点)

No one is immune from Beijing’s "gravity machine"
Financial Times, December 11, 2013
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/32470bd8-619d-11e3-b7f1-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2nHR7a2HI

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Corruption (腐败)

深圳政法委一副巡视员被举报索贿80万嫖娼40次 (Shenzhen Party official allegedly took bribes of RMB 800,000 and solicited prostitutes 40 times)
Southern Metropolis Daily, December 11, 2013
http://news.eastday.com/eastday/13news/auto/news/china/u7ai326180_K4.html

China anti-corruption reform: shark fins, bird nests, upmarket cigarettes and alcohol banned from state events
International Business Times, December 9, 2013
www.ibtimes.com/china-anti-corruption-reform-shark-fins-bird-nests-upmarket-cigarettes-alcohol-banned-state-events

Disasters (灾难)

深圳今晨大火16人死亡 近百人聚集讨说法无人应 (Shenzhen market fire kills 16)
China National Radio, December 11, 2013
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2013/12-11/5608448.shtml

Environment (环境)

China state media under fire for arguing benefits of smog
Reuters, December 10, 2013
www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/10/us-china-pollution-idUSBRE9B903O20131210

Related:
State media effort to spin the "5 benefits" of China's smog falls flat
Wall Street Journal, December 10, 2013
blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/12/10/state-media-effort-to-spin-the-5-benefits-of-chinas-smog-falls-flat/

New EPA chief visits China to talk air pollution in first trip abroad
Washington Post, December 10, 2013
www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2013/12/10/new-epa-chief-visits-china-to-talk-air-pollution-in-first-trip-abroad/

China boosts research as smog crisis raises fears over infertility
South China Morning Post, December 11, 2013
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1378103/china-boosts-research-effect-pollution-fertility-amid-smog-crisis

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

Chinese professor who advocated free speech is fired
教授张雪忠因提倡言论自由被解聘
The New York Times, December 11, 2013
http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20131211/c11professor/dual/

See Zhang’s article:
2013反宪政逆流的根源及危险 ("The Origin and the Perils of the Anti-Constitutionalism Campaign in 2013")
Independent Chinese Pen Center,December 10, 2013 http://www.chinesepen.org/Article/sxsy/201312/Article_20131210135721.shtml

Fresh fears of crackdown as Chinese professor is fired for "criticising Xi Jinping"
The Telegraph, December 10, 2013
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10507646/Fresh-fears-of-crackdown-as-Chinese-professor-is-fired-for-criticising-Xi-Jinping.html