Wed, Sep 3, 1997 edition

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Wed, Sep 3, 1997
Protests in Sichuan

also: aid to Jiang calls for political reform; modernizing personnel management; and Taiwan anticipates spring talks
Society: ( SCMP Internet Edition ) According to reports from the New York-based Human Rights in China, more than 1,000 pedicab drivers demonstrated in Dujiangyan, Sichuan Province and clashed with riot police on Tuesday when they attempted to rush into the city government building, reports the SCMP.
This incident followed a smaller one on August 28 and 29, when 500 retired workers protested against a new city initiative to enforced stricter licensing of peticabs and similar forms of transportation, reports the paper. The workers, who earn income from driving peticabs, apparently extracted a promise from the city Government that their grievances would be addressed by September 2, writes the paper.
It was when city officials did not appear on Tuesday morning to meet with the workers that they attempted entry into the city government office building, the paper cites Human Rights in China.
( Tricycle Drivers Protest City Ban, Seizures ) Inside China has a similar story, but both papers differ over details. According to Inside China, last weeks protest involved 500 pensioners who were complaining because local authorities had not raised pension payments, writes the paper. Also, the South China Morning Post article not only suggests that the protests were much larger than what had been previously reported, but also suggests that they are ongoing.
Both papers quote some unnamed local official:

About 50 to 60 laid-off workers and workers from rural areas who were making a living in the pedicab business carried out a sit-down protest in front of the city hall.
They shouted slogans like, We want to eat, we want to work.

The crack down on illegal peticabs was an effort by the city government to improve traffic safety by limiting the number of cabs in use.
Reform: ( Top Advisor Says Now is Time for Political Reform )
Inside China, publishing a Reuters dispatch, reports that Mr Liu Ji, a top advisor to Jiang Zemin, called for more political reform in an interview with the China news service yesterday,
According to the report, Liu believes that political reforms are in tune with the times. As economic reforms increase the people's standard of living, they want to voice their opinions more and more, said Liu.
Liu was quoted as saying:
"The continued rapid development of China's economy is safeguarded by reform of the political structure."
"When the people have enough food to eat and enough clothes to keep warm and as cultural standards increase, they will then want to express their opinions."
"The people wanting to take part in political thinking is a good thing, it is a sign of the prosperity and strength of the nation and is also a tide of the age that cannot be turned back," he said.
"If the Communist Party is really a party that serves the people, that stands in the vanguard of the present age, then it must find new means and measures to satisfy this demand of the people," said Liu.
"Because of this, when the 15th (Communist) party congress pushes with advances in socialist construction, at the same time as making breakthroughs in the economic field, we must push forward socialist democracy, and advance reform of the political system."
"Just as economic construction is not like a steamed bun that can be cooked in a night, so reform of the political system and democracy in a socialist society needs the efforts of generation after generation."

Liu is vice president of the Chinese Academy of Social Science
Labor: ( New rules modernize personnel system; State stresses arbitration ) China Daily reports that a national conference will open in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province next week in order "to promote the implementation of China's first statute on the handling of personnel disputes in government institutions and State firms," writes the paper.
The paper reports that the number of settledpersonnel disputes had risen from an officially reported 4,207 in 1995 to 9,737 last year.
Under the new scheme, a personnel arbitration system will be established at "the central, provincial, prefectural and county levels, to handle disputes in government or State-owned units," reports the paper.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Personnel said, the system will promote arbitration over adjudication. The spokesman also said that the government sees the scheme as an essential step in modernizing the nation's personnel system "to meet the rapid development of the market economy," writes the paper.
According to the paper, the scheme will address the following areas:

"Disputes between State administrative agencies and their staff over recruitments and job transfers while fulfilling employment contracts;

Disagreement between institutions and their employees over resignations or dismissals while under contract;

Disputes between State-owned enterprises and their managers and technicians over fulfilling employment contracts;

Other personnel disputes between employers and employees over labour mobility, which can also be arbitrated in accordance with China's existing personnel regulations."

Taiwan: ( SCMP Internet Edition ) Taiwan is making preparations for a resumption of talks with the mainland in spring 1998. President Lee Teng-hui is also willing to visit the mainland as a 'senior Taiwanese official,' not as President of the ROC, reports the paper.
"We are preparing for the agenda, including political and policy ones, as part of the cross-strait talks which we hope would be able to be resumed in the spring," Mainland Affairs Council chairman Chang King-yuh said.
Without specifying, Chang said that there were indications that talks would resume in the spring.

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Wed, Sep 3, 1997	Protests in Sichuan also: aid to Jiang calls for political reform; modernizing personnel management; and Taiwan anticipates spring talks Society: ( SCMP Internet Edition ) According to reports from the New York-based Human Rights in China, more than 1,000 pedicab drivers demonstrated in Dujiangyan, Sichuan Province and clashed with riot police on Tuesday when they attempted to rush into the city government building, reports the SCMP. This incident followed a smaller one on August 28 and 29, when 500 retired workers protested against a new city initiative to enforced stricter licensing of peticabs and similar forms of transportation, reports the paper. The workers, who earn income from driving peticabs, apparently extracted a promise from the city Government that their grievances would be addressed by September 2, writes the paper. It was when city officials did not appear on Tuesday morning to meet with the workers that they attempted entry into the city government office building, the paper cites Human Rights in China. ( Tricycle Drivers Protest City Ban, Seizures ) Inside China has a similar story, but both papers differ over details. According to Inside China, last weeks protest involved 500 pensioners who were complaining because local authorities had not raised pension payments, writes the paper. Also, the South China Morning Post article not only suggests that the protests were much larger than what had been previously reported, but also suggests that they are ongoing. Both papers quote some unnamed local official: About 50 to 60 laid-off workers and workers from rural areas who were making a living in the pedicab business carried out a sit-down protest in front of the city hall. They shouted slogans like, We want to eat, we want to work. The crack down on illegal peticabs was an effort by the city government to improve traffic safety by limiting the number of cabs in use. Reform: ( Top Advisor Says Now is Time for Political Reform ) Inside China, publishing a Reuters dispatch, reports that Mr Liu Ji, a top advisor to Jiang Zemin, called for more political reform in an interview with the China news service yesterday, According to the report, Liu believes that political reforms are in tune with the times. As economic reforms increase the people's standard of living, they want to voice their opinions more and more, said Liu. Liu was quoted as saying: "The continued rapid development of China's economy is safeguarded by reform of the political structure." "When the people have enough food to eat and enough clothes to keep warm and as cultural standards increase, they will then want to express their opinions." "The people wanting to take part in political thinking is a good thing, it is a sign of the prosperity and strength of the nation and is also a tide of the age that cannot be turned back," he said. "If the Communist Party is really a party that serves the people, that stands in the vanguard of the present age, then it must find new means and measures to satisfy this demand of the people," said Liu. "Because of this, when the 15th (Communist) party congress pushes with advances in socialist construction, at the same time as making breakthroughs in the economic field, we must push forward socialist democracy, and advance reform of the political system." "Just as economic construction is not like a steamed bun that can be cooked in a night, so reform of the political system and democracy in a socialist society needs the efforts of generation after generation." Liu is vice president of the Chinese Academy of Social Science Labor: ( New rules modernize personnel system; State stresses arbitration ) China Daily reports that a national conference will open in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province next week in order "to promote the implementation of China's first statute on the handling of personnel disputes in government institutions and State firms," writes the paper. The paper reports that the number of settledpersonnel disputes had risen from an officially reported 4,207 in 1995 to 9,737 last year. Under the new scheme, a personnel arbitration system will be established at "the central, provincial, prefectural and county levels, to handle disputes in government or State-owned units," reports the paper. A spokesman for the Ministry of Personnel said, the system will promote arbitration over adjudication. The spokesman also said that the government sees the scheme as an essential step in modernizing the nation's personnel system "to meet the rapid development of the market economy," writes the paper. According to the paper, the scheme will address the following areas: "Disputes between State administrative agencies and their staff over recruitments and job transfers while fulfilling employment contracts; Disagreement between institutions and their employees over resignations or dismissals while under contract; Disputes between State-owned enterprises and their managers and technicians over fulfilling employment contracts; Other personnel disputes between employers and employees over labour mobility, which can also be arbitrated in accordance with China's existing personnel regulations." Taiwan: ( SCMP Internet Edition ) Taiwan is making preparations for a resumption of talks with the mainland in spring 1998. President Lee Teng-hui is also willing to visit the mainland as a 'senior Taiwanese official,' not as President of the ROC, reports the paper. "We are preparing for the agenda, including political and policy ones, as part of the cross-strait talks which we hope would be able to be resumed in the spring," Mainland Affairs Council chairman Chang King-yuh said. Without specifying, Chang said that there were indications that talks would resume in the spring.

China Informed

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©1997 Matthew Sinclair-Day
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