NewsChina, Chinese Edition
Southern People Weekly
August 17, 2015
August 11, 2015
Escalator Concern
Salary Debate
Nearly 120 years ago, when the first escalator debuted in New York, nobody could foresee that China would one day become the country with the largest number of escalators. China also produces, sells and installs the most escalators and elevators, recording annual industrial growth of 20 percent year-on-year, a byproduct of the country’s strong economic growth and rapid urbanization. Nevertheless, China-made escalators have long been overshadowed by overseas competitors in terms of both reputation and technology, and recent deadly accidents involving domestic escalators have further plagued China’s escalator industry. Statistics from the China Elevator Association show that, among the factors leading to safety issues, manufacturing quality accounts for 16 percent, installation makes up 24 percent, and maintenance and usage is behind 60 percent of safety problems. A comprehensive overhaul of the industry and its safety regulations should be on the horizon.
Oriental Outlook July 30, 2015
Abortion Young migrant workers are more likely to get an abortion than urban residents, according to China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission. A 2013 report shows that 41.8 percent of young migrant workers have had premarital sex, 27.4 percent do not realize the importance of using a condom to help prevent the transmission of HIV, and 43.5 percent of unmarried migrant workers do not know about the existence of emergency contraception. One consequence of this lack of understanding is China’s high abortion rate — official data shows that six million abortions are performed in China every year, excluding operations done at some private hospitals and unlicensed clinics. Migrant workers flock to busy cities but are relatively isolated from urban life, and while an enclosed environment has naturally led to sexual activity between co-workers, it has not prepared them for the potential consequences.
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After a nine-year freeze on public sector employees’ salaries and a higher rate of civil service turnover in recent years due to “low wages,” China raised those salaries by about 60 percent this past June. This move has generated widespread public outcry, with most opposing the salary increase, saying that the base salary is only part of a Chinese civil servant’s monthly income, which also includes benefits and allowances. A lack of a unified salary system for public servants and inadequate transparency are mainly to blame for distrust between the Chinese public and public sector employees. At the same time, many public servants were not satisfied with the change in June because they felt there were unreasonable disparities between regions and industries. A data-based wage system for public servants needs to be established as soon as possible to measure public sector employees’ duties and workloads and then compensate them fairly. Caijing August 3, 2015
Redressing Injustice In recent years, the central government has increasingly tightened its crackdown on corruption and, at the same time, taken steps to redress judicial injustices. From 2013 to 2015, more than 20 people sentenced to death were acquitted — the same number as was recorded from 2006 to 2012. Unlike cases resulting from the high-profile anti-corruption campaign, re-examining cases involving unjust or false charges and reversing those verdicts is more closely linked to civil rights. In addition, judicial reform is deepening — 31 heads of provincial Law and Politics committees will no longer be able to take an additional post as public security chief. The evaluation system for judicial performance is also continually improving. Caijing magazine sorted, analyzed and summarized nearly 100 unjust cases from the past 20 years in order to provide a new reference for the correction of judicial errors nationwide.
Fangyuan August 11, 2015
Financial Tricks Nowadays in China when customers step into a bank, the first thing they are likely to see are brochures featuring various financial products and a uniformed staff member eager to explain how customers can use such products to “earn high profits with low risk.” This has been a common sight since 2005, when selling financial products at banking institutions became approved by law. Over the past 10 years, financial products have witnessed skyrocketing growth, with not only individuals, but also professional investors and listed companies now avid consumers. Official statistics show that the total dollar value of financial products bought by listed companies has reached 100 billion yuan (US$15.6bn). Along with rapid growth, however, illicit market phenomena and legal disputes abound. Legal risks hidden inside thick financial contracts have turned out to be hard to avoid for those investors who do not have a background in finance. NEWSCHINA I October 2015