Jan. 4, 2012
China's top economic planner said on Jan. 4, 2012 the government would ban the unauthorized collection of kindergarten fees, its latest bid to crack down on the excessively high costs of preschool education.
"The move aims to promote scientific development of preschool education, regulate kindergarten fee collection and protect the legitimate interests of both the students and the kindergartens," the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in a statement.
Jan. 6, 2012
China will bring its nurse population to 2.86 million by 2015, meaning there will be 2.07 nurses for every 1,000 people, according to a blueprint on nursing issued on Jan. 6, 2012 by the Ministry of Health (MOH).
By the end of 2010, China has registered 2.05 million nurses and there were 1.52 nurses for every 1, 000 Chinese.
Jan. 9, 2011
Tougher penalties should be handed out to violators of work safety laws, a Supreme People's Court (SPC) spokesman said in an interpretation of a regulation.
The SPC on Jan. 9, 2011 introduced a regulation to crack down on rampant work safety violations, creating tougher penalties for violations falling into 14 categories.
The spokesman said reprieves will not be granted to violators whose crimes fall into one of the 14 categories, generally speaking.
Jan. 17, 2012.
China objects to other countries' interference in its internal affairs and the violation of China's judicial sovereignty by making an issue of human rights, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Jan. 17, 2012.
In response to US Ambassador Gary Locke's latest criticism of China's human rights record, spokesman Liu Weimin said the progress of China's human rights is obvious to all.
According to AFP, Locke claimed on Monday that China's human rights record was deteriorating.
"The human rights climate has always ebbed and flowed in China, up and down, but we seem to be in a down period and it's getting worse," Locke told The Charlie Rose Show on US public television late on Jan. 16, 2012, said AFP.
Liu told reporters at a regular news conference what Locke said is "not the truth".
"China has attached great importance to promoting and safeguarding the basic rights of the Chinese people, including the freedom of belief and speech," Liu said. "China's progress in human rights is obvious to all".
Jan. 18, 2012
China set a rough timetable for lifting over 20 million rural disabled persons out of poverty, according to a statement from the China Disabled Person's Federation (CDPF) on Jan. 18, 2012.
The statement cited a recently adopted 10-year outline for poverty reduction and help for disabled persons in the rural areas (2011-2020) from the central government, which had not been made public.
The outline specified that by 2015, the overall living standard of disabled people in rural areas should reach a "relatively affluent" level with "institutional mechanisms" in place to support their basic needs.
It also set a long-term target for 2020, when the country's disabled population could expect all-round equal access to basic health care, education, public housing as well as rehabitation services, with their family income reaching the local average level.
Jan. 19, 2012
Some 364 million Chinese rural and urban dwellers had access to social pension insurance by the end of 2011, and 103 million citizens received pensions every month, data released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) showed on Jan. 19, 2012.
China's pension insurance targets citizens aged over 60. The pilot program for rural residents was launched in Dec. 2009, and in July 2011 for urban dwellers.
Jan. 21, 2012
Inmates would be temporarily released from jail to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year at home with their families as a reward for their good behavior, according to an official from Ministry of Justice. The inmates would be released on Jan. 22, the eve of Lunar New Year.
Jan. 29, 2012
Prejudice resulting from differences between political systems has become deeply rooted in interpretations of China's human rights situation, according to an editorial in the Sunday edition of the People's Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
The editorial, written in response to a Human Rights Watch report that described a "worsening human rights situation" in China, said that an "unsaid understanding" has been reached between many Western governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that China is on the "opposite side of human rights."
"For them, it does not matter whether China achieves progress in human rights or if the Chinese government respects and protects human rights. What matters is that China has to be condemned politically," the editorial said.
"It implies that China should not choose a development pattern that fits its reality, nor exercise its right to safeguard national security and stability as a sovereign country," the article said.
The editorial said that the attitudes held by Western countries concerning China's human rights conditions are the result of different political and ideological systems and are a legacy of a "Cold War mindset."
Jan. 30, 2012
China will overhaul its current food standards, integrating new specifications and weeding out others in a move largely aimed at avoiding overlap and contradiction, the Ministry of Heath announced.
Before the end of 2015, the ministry will basically complete the work on the mandatory contents of China's current 1,900 national food standards, 1,200 local standards and 3,000 food industrial standards, according to a statement posted on its website on Jan. 30, 2012.
In the meantime, efforts will be made to revise the standards on food additives, food labels and food contaminants, biotoxin and pesticide residuals.
The ministry will also accelerate the formulation and modification of the national standard of food safety, so as to fill certain important gaps in the existing version, solve the inconsistency of standards and enhance the standards' scientific base, said the statement.
Jan. 30, 2012
According to Chinese embassy in Sudan, 17 Chinese workers had been transferred to shelter by Sudan government. Chinese embassy and other Chinese ministries were striving to rescue the 29 Chinese workers held by rebels.
Feb. 1, 2012
Wukan, the southern Chinese village known for recent massive protests over illegal land uses and other issues, started a voting for new village leadership on February 1, 2012.
The voting was expected to result in the selection of an independent election committee, which wound supervise upcoming rounds of voting for villagers' representatives and a new village committee.
Feb. 1, 2012
The Longjiang River, located in Hechi, Guangxi, was found to contain excessive cadmium. The pollution seriously threatened the safety of drinking water for millions of people. 8 people from 2 enterprises; involved in the illegal pollutant discharging; were investigated for criminal responsibility according to the law, said the mayor of Hechi.
Feb. 6, 2012
Chairing a conference themed on the distribution of affordable housing, Vice Premier Li Keqiang pledged to make housing accessible to more mid- and low-income families, saying fairness in the distribution of affordable homes is the "lifeblood" of the housing program.
Feb. 7, 2012
Twenty-nine Chinese nationals abducted by local rebels in Sudan January arrived at the Wilson Airport in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.
The Chinese who were working at a construction site in Sudan had earlier boarded a plane chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Sudan shortly after being released by the rebels. They reached the Kenyan airport at around 5:35 p.m. local time after 11 days in captivity.
The freed Chinese, some frail-looking, bearded and in T-shirts, were expected to set off for China after a short stay in Nairobi.
Feb. 8, 2012
A senior health official advocated the use of real-name HIV testing, stating that the tests will be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
Wang Yu, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, made the remark at a press conference held by the Ministry of Health on Wednesday in response to a question about a controversial piece of legislation that may soon be approved in south Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
Feb. 8, 2012
China's State Council, or Cabinet, issued a plan to boost employment during the 2011-2015 period, which aims to spur employment while improving employment structure and further perfecting regulations and related mechanism to protect workers' rights and benefits.
Feb 12, 2012
Decent work was written into the development plan of Beijing during the twelfth five-year plan period.
Feb.13, 2012
The State Council, or China's Cabinet, worked out a five-year plan (2011-2015) to raise standards and improve quality in the medicinal sector, including Western medicines, traditional Chinese medicine, and generic drug products, with the goal that all chemical and biological drugs should meet or approach international standards, and 90 percent of medical equipment and apparatuses should meet international standards, and the production of pharmaceutics, equipment and apparatuses, as well as the operation of pharmacies should meet relevant national standards published in 2010.
Feb.14, 2012
Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping attended a luncheon hosted by his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Feb. 14, 2012.
Addressing the luncheon, Xi defended China's human rights record, saying there's "no best," only "better" on human rights.
Xi, while acknowledging the enormous challenges faced by the Chinese government, emphasized tremendous and well-recognized achievements made by China in its human rights efforts over the past 30 years.
"Given China's huge population, considerable regional diversity and uneven development, we are still faced with many challenges in improving people's livelihood and advancing human rights," Xi said.
"The Chinese government will always put peoples' interests first and take seriously people's aspirations and demands," he added.
"We will, in light of China's national conditions, continue to take concrete and effective policies and measures to promote social fairness, justice and harmony and push forward China's course of human rights," Xi said.
Feb. 14, 2012
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said that any attempt to incite a small number of monks to take radical moves to undermine the stability in Tibet Autonomous Region is not in the development interests of Tibetan-inhabited areas or the interests of Tibetan people, and such an attempt has no popular support.
In response to a question concerning Tibet, Wen said Tibet practices regional ethnic autonomy.
"We pay close attention to protecting the ecological environment and traditional culture of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and we respect and protect the freedom of religious belief of Tibetan people," he added.
Feb. 20, 2012
Chinese President Hu Jintao, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks at the 32nd group study of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. He emphasized that increasing employment is key to guarantying and improving people's well-being and should be prioritized in China's economic and social development, and a series of policies and measures have been carried out to expand employment, and the jobs market has remain generally stable.
Feb.20, 2012
According to the Annual Report on the Chinese Rule of Law, 2012, a bluebook launched by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in terms of government transparency, Beijing's municipal government tops the list. The Ministry of Commerce was hailed as the most transparent ministry in the State Council.
Feb.20, 2012
During his visit to Dublin, capital of Ireland, Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping emphasized tremendous and well-recognized achievements made by China in its human rights efforts over the past 30 years and attributed it to that China has embarked on the development path that fits its national conditions
Feb. 22, 2012
At the State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao, new health reform targets were set for the 12th Five-year Plan (2011-2015) period. Major reform targets include the expansion of basic health insurance coverage, perfecting the country's essential medicine system, as well as improving community-level clinics and public hospitals. Special attention would be paid to migrant workers, the employees of private enterprises and self-employed people, as well as employees of poorly-performing or bankrupt companies, according to the announcement. The reforms would also focus on expanding the essential medicine system to village-level clinics and private community health institutions, and greater efforts would be made to shore up community-level health institutions, including training over 150,000 general practitioners (GP) for them.
Feb. 22, 2012
A special verdict was issued by the Xiangzhou District People's Court in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province. Media referred it as the first “civil protection order" against domestic violence in the mainland of China, which means human rights of family members were protected at household.
Feb. 23, 2012
China has taken harsh measures to eliminate the phenomenon of charging enrollment fees by schools with better teaching resources, a move seen as a "heavy blow" to the education sector. The measures, announced in a statement by the Ministry of Education, require all public primary and junior middle schools to standardize enrollment procedures and improve enrollment policies, with an aim to tackle the problem of "enrollment fees".
Feb. 23, 2012
The Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China released an announcement of Actively and Steadily Promoting the Reform of the Household Registration Administration System, urging local governments to take effective measures to ensure an active and stable reform.
Feb.24, 2012
Chinese authorities said they will implement an intensified crackdown on crimes related to "gutter oil," or cooking oil recycled from restaurant leftovers, vowing to hand down the death penalty for cases that are serious enough. Courts must give full consideration to suspects' subjective malignance, the amount of money involved and the harm done to the public and the market when ruling in gutter oil cases. For those deserving death, death penalties must be resolutely given. Harsh punishments should also be given to government officials and civil servants who fail to fulfill duties related to vegetable oil safety, according to the notice, which was jointly issued by the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).
Feb. 27, 2012
China's overworked taxi drivers would be able to enjoy one day off every week under a number of new rules jointly released by the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and All China Federation of Trade Unions. The move aims to protect cabbies' rights so they can work with dignity and allow their companies to develop well.
Feb. 27, 2012
A half-year-long special campaign, with an aim to crack down on the spread of pornographic and vulgar information through the Internet and mobile phones, is to be carried out by the country's nine government agencies including the State Internet Information Office, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, will run from the start of March till the end of August in 2012.
March 1, 2012
Since March 1st, a batch of rules and regulations, related to radioactive waste management, lottery management, community correction, the real-name train ticket refund and others, have come into effect. Among them, the rule and regulation of train ticket refund and lottery management will directly influence daily life of common people.
March 3, 2012
The Fifth Session of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) opened.
March 5, 2012
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao delivered a government work report during the opening meeting of the Fifth Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2012.
MAJOR TARGETS FOR 2012
-- GDP will grow by 7.5 percent.
-- Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase will be kept around 4 percent.
AGRICULTURE
-- Efforts will be made to increase farmers' income, support agricultural technology development, develop rural infrastructure and protect farm land.
ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING
-- To accelerate the transformation of the economic development pattern and carry out strategic adjustment of the economic structure is both a long-term and most pressing task at present.
PEOPLE'S WELLBEING
-- China will make every effort to increase employment and the government must continue to follow the strategy of giving top priority to employment.
-- By the end of the year, the country will have achieved full coverage of the new old-age pension system for rural residents and the old-age pension system for non-working urban residents.
-- The government will raise subsidies for medical insurance for non-working urban residents and the new type of rural cooperative medical care system to 240 yuan per person per year.
-- It will continue to keep the birthrate low and redress gender imbalance.
-- It will continue to develop low-income housing, and basically complete 5 million units and start construction on over 7 million units.
March 8, 2012
China's legislature underlined the principle of "respecting and safeguarding human rights" by explicitly writing it into a draft amendment to the nation's Criminal Procedure Law. The draft was submitted on March 8, 2012 to the ongoing 5th session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) for third reading.
March 14, 2012
Revisions were put forward to five articles of the draft amendment to China's Criminal Procedure Law before it goes for vote at the closing meeting of the annual session of the National People's Congress, the top legislature, on March 14, 2012.
According to the NPC Law Committee, the proposed revisions include one that would require law enforcement agencies to forward suspects' or defendants' requests for an attorney to an appointed third party.
Another would require the Supreme People's Court, when reviewing death sentences, to make inquiries of defendants. Under the current draft amendment, such inquiries are not compulsory.
A third revision suggests that evidence collected in an unlawful way be nullified.
March 15, 2012
On the International Day for Consumers' Rights and Interests, CCTV revealed deceit of some famous enterprises, including scandals of McDonald's restaurant in Sanlitun, Beijing, SMS spam, Carrefour store in Zhengzhou and personal information trade by banks, which aroused public concern.
March 23, 2012
The State Council issued a plan for deepening the reform of health care system during the 12th five year plan, which set up a definite objective to lower the rate of personal spending on health by 30% and cleared reforming focuses.
March 27, 2012
After an incident of a doctor being killed at the first affiliated hospital of Harbin Medical University, China's Ministry of Health claimed to protect the safety of medical personnel.
March 28, 2012
Tibetans celebrate the Serfs Emancipation Day. Authorities designated March 28 as the day to commemorate the 1959 democratic reform in Tibet, which ended the feudal serf system, freeing about 1 million Tibetan, over 90 percent of the region's population at the time, from a life of serfdom.
Apr. 1, 2012
A regulation took effect on Apr 1, 2012 to protect detainees' rights.
The regulation requires detention centers to better protect their detainees' legitimate rights and interests, prohibiting the centers from insulting, abusing or imposing physical punishments on detainees.
The detention centers should inform detainees of their legal rights and the rules they should abide by, as well as provide their relatives with timely notices, the regulation says.
The regulation also requires the centers to organize physical and cultural activities for their inmates, specifying that inmates should be permitted to have no fewer than two hours of outdoor activity daily.
The regulation bans forced labor at detention houses, and requires them to provide drug rehabilitation treatment for detained drug addicts.
Apr. 11, 2012
The State Council, China's cabinet, on Apr. 11, 2012, issued the School Bus Safety Management Regulations following a series of traffic accidents.
The regulations require local governments to ensure students attend schools nearest to their homes or go to boarding schools to minimize road accidents.
In the rural areas where schools are distant and public transport is unavailable, local authorities should take measures to ensure students have access to school buses.
The new rules also define the responsibilities of schools and bus providers for the safety of students, and set technical standards for school buses and strict requirements for drivers.
Apr. 12, 2012
Coal mines with an annual output of 90,000 tonnes or less would not be allowed to resume production until their gas control capabilities conform to national standards, State Administration of Work Safety, China's top safety watchdog, said on April 12, 2012 in a statement on its website.
Accidents including coal and gas outbursts and explosions had been frequent occurrences in the country's small-sized mines. All these mines should stop production to improve their working conditions. Small mines would be merged with qualified mines or even shut down if their gas control capabilities cannot meet required standards, according to the statement.
Apr. 18, 2012
Major serious illnesses would be covered by state healthcare and medical assistance in China, according to the country's new healthcare reform plan, released on Apr. 18, 2012.
Eight kinds of illnesses, including children's leukemia, children's congenital heart disease and kidney disease, would be added to the system, and 12 diseases, including lung cancer, esophageal cancer and stomach cancer, would be covered by the new medical insurance and assistance plans.
Low-income patients who are critically ill, severely disabled and low-income seniors would also be added to the medical assistance plans, according to the reform plan.
Apr. 18, 2012
The paid maternity leave for female employees would be extended from the current 90 calendar days to 98, according to the draft regulation reviewed and approved by the State Council on Apr. 18, 2012.
Women who have miscarriages (abortions included) are also entitled to paid leave. Those who have been pregnant for less than four months are allowed to take miscarriage leave of no less than two weeks, and those who have carried their unborn babies beyond four months can rest for at least six weeks.
May 1, 2012
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited street cleaners and bus drivers in Beijing, and offered festival greetings to workers across the nation on May 1, 2012, International Labor Day.
May 2, 2012
China approved a five-year plan to speed up the establishment of a social security network that covers both urban and rural citizens by 2015, the State Council, China's Cabinet, said on May 2, 2012.
The government would strive to build a basically complete social security system and a relatively sound management service system by the end of its 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), according to a statement released after a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao.
May 2, 2012
China's top legislator called for efforts to safeguard the interests of people with disabilities in the country and ensure they enjoy the fruits of development.
Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), made the remarks in his instruction to a meeting of the NPC Standing Committee's work group for inspecting the implementation of the Law on the Protection of Disabled Persons.
Wu said that caring for and guaranteeing the rights and interests of the disabled is a sign of social progress. He ordered inspectors to check the implementation of the law and urge relevant authorities to pay close attention to work with disabled persons and solve difficulties facing the group.
May 16, 2012
The State Council, or China's Cabinet, announced that the government would work to give both urban and rural residents equal access to public services during the 2011-2015 period.
The government would promote a series of "livelihood projects," improve infrastructure and strengthen service networks concerning education, employment, social security, health and housing, according to a statement released after an executive meeting of the State Council presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao.
The government will prioritize less developed rural regions and impoverished areas by providing them with more fiscal spending and material assistance, according to the statement.
The statement said the government will ensure that fiscal spending on public services will grow according to the nation's economic growth and the government's fiscal income.
May 28, 2012
Chinese workers would have a shorter workday if the temperature hits 37 C, thanks to a draft regulation.
The draft, made by China's top work safety watchdog, the health ministry, human resources and social security ministry and the top labor union organization, would replace an outdated version that became effective in 1960.
The draft, which for the first time defines high temperatures as being above 35 C, has just closed its soliciting of public opinions.
It stipulates that employers should not make pregnant women work outdoors where the temperature is above 35 C or indoors where the temperature is above 33 C.
It also widens the old regulation's beneficiaries from industrial, transportation and construction workers and farmers to all laborers who would be affected by the high temperature at their work.
May 18, 2012
A Chinese expert on human rights research described a British report's accusations regarding China's human rights situation as "groundless."
The British government recently published "Human Rights and Democracy: The 2011 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report," an annual report that highlights the UK's concerns on key human rights issues.
However, the report has turned a blind eye to China's efforts to improve its human rights situation, according to a Friday article by Liu Jie, director of the human rights research center under the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
Most of the information in the report is based on hearsay and speculation, while prejudice and distortions regarding human rights conditions in China are pervasive, the article said.
May 22, 2012
Carriers of hepatitis B virus were then allowed to work at kindergartens and nurseries on the Chinese mainland, under new guidelines on health and hygiene at kindergartens.
The Ministry of Health issued the document on May 22, 2012, revising guidelines dating from 1985 that barred people with hepatitis B from working at kindergartens.
"The revision is a symbol of a rising public awareness of the blood-borne infectious disease," said Jia Jidong, who leads the liver research center at Beijing Friendship Hospital.
It could also help eliminate hepatitis-B-related social discrimination in a country with 93 million carriers, he said.
May 25, 2012
China responded to a recent U.S. government report on China's human rights practices by issuing its own report on human rights issues in the United States.
The "Human Rights Record of the United States in 2011" was released by the Information Office of the State Council, China's Cabinet, in response to the "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011" issued by the U.S. State Department on May 24.
It was the 13th annual report published by China in response to U.S. attacks.
The "Human Rights Record of the United States in 2011" is intended to reveal the "true human rights situation" of the United States to the world and "urge the United States to confront its own actions," the report said.
May 25, 2012
Premier Wen Jiabao visited several children of migrant workers who have moved to urban areas to find work, presenting the children with his well-wishes ahead of International Children's Day, which falls on June 1. Wen made the visit during an inspection tour of the Wuling mountainous area in central China's Hunan province.
Wen visited a primary school in the area, inspecting the students' dorms and talking with teachers, students and their parents. He urged local authorities and schools to guarantee food safety for students, particularly those whose parents are not around to supervise their diets.
May 28, 2012
People's Daily published an article: Recently, the U.S. State Department issued the Human Rights Report 2012 and said that China's human rights situation is "worsening." Criticizing China blindly, the report ignores the huge progress of China's human rights cause, and turns a blind eye on the practical work done in improving its human rights situation.
Actions speak louder than words. In 2011, China fully promoted the work of guaranteeing human rights in the institutionalization and legalization areas. The various goals and tasks of the National Human Rights Acton Plan (2009 – 2010) have all be reached and completed on time. While assessing the implementation of the first human rights action plan, China is also working on making the second human rights action plan.
May 28 - 31, 2012
Delegation of China Society for Human Rights Studies paid a four-day visit to Uzbekistan during May 28 - 31, 2012.
During their stay in Uzbekistan, the Chinese delegates met with Dilorom Tashmuhamedova, speaker of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis, the Uzbek parliament, as well as leaders of various political parties and representatives from human rights institutions in the central Asian country.
During the meeting with Tashmuhamedova, Luo Haocai, head of the delegation and chairman of the Chinese Society for Human Rights Studies, lauded the frequent exchanges of high-level visits and extensive bilateral cooperation between China and Uzbekistan in the past 20 years.
Noting that bilateral exchanges on human rights have been constantly enhanced, Luo said the two sides should continue to explore ways to deepen their cooperation in human rights theory research and practices and make contribution to the international human rights cause and world peace and prosperity as well.
China's achievements in promoting human rights in the last three decades have been widely recognized by members of the international community, said Tashmuhamedova.
May 29, 2012
People's Daily published an article: Anyone taking an objective look at the real changes in China would see clearly that China has made solid progress in human rights protection, and contributed significantly to the development of the international human rights cause.
First, the Chinese government takes respecting and protecting human rights as a basic principle for governing the country.
Second, China has formed a legal system with the Constitution as its core to protect human rights.
Third, the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010) made China one of the 26 countries that have responded to the United Nations' call to establish a national human rights plan.
Fourth, the Chinese government has given top priority to improving people's living standards.
Fifth, China has actively and steadily promoted political reforms, developed diverse forms of democracy, and constantly guaranteed and expanded citizens' democratic rights.
Sixth, China takes strengthening human rights education as a new strategy for promoting the human rights cause.
China has taken a development path suitable to its own national conditions in the field of human rights, and greatly promoted the development of the international human rights cause with practical actions.
May 29, 2012
The amount of compensation payable by the Chinese state for infringement of citizens' personal freedom was to be upped by 20.32 yuan (3.22 U.S. dollars) to 162.65 yuan for each day of wrongful imprisonment or detention. It was announced on May 29, 2012.
The sum is equal to the average daily income of Chinese urbanites in 2011, according to a statement issued by the Supreme People's Court (SPC).
Jun. 1, 2012
It is the International Children's Day. Protection of the rights of children includes the subsistence rights of tem, but also the respect to their personal dignity and development rights.
Jun. 4, 2012
Delegation of China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS) visited O. Zarubinskyi, Head of the Committee on Human Rights, National Minorities and International Relations on Jun. 1, 2012.
During the meeting, Luo Haocai, head of the delegation and chairman of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, said, China has made great progress in human rights protection since reform and opening-up. In 2004, China enshrined "the state respects and guarantees human rights" into the Constitution.
O. Zarubinskyi said, China's legal construction and human rights protection mode is conducive and he appreciated National Human Rights Action Plan of China.
Jun. 6, 2012
An increase in China's retirement age is believed to be on the cards after a social security official said authorities would be putting forward such a proposal "at an appropriate time."
In an online conversation with web users, a spokesman for the Ministry of Human Resource and Social Security said: "Along with China's economic development and prolonged average life expectancy, postponing retirement is an inevitable trend."
Jun. 7, 2012
Headed by Mr. Luo Haocai, delegation of China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS) visited Belarus from Jun. 4 to Jun. 7, 2012. Luo introduced the progress of human rights protection in China and appreciated the support from Belarus to China on the field of international human rights.
Jun. 11, 2012
Approved and authorized by the State Council, the Information Office of the State Council, or China's cabinet, published the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2012-2015). It is the second national plan for human rights protection in China, promising to address challenges and work for happiness and dignity of every citizen. The new plan, addressing human rights protection work from 2012 to 2015, follows the previous one covering the period of 2009 and 2010.
Jun. 12, 2012
The State Council Information Office unveiled the National Human Rights Action Plan (2012-2015) (hereinafter referred to as the Action Plan) on June 11, drawing wide attention, both domestically and internationally. Wang Chen, director of the International Communication Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the State Council Information Office, answered questions concerning China's formulation of the Action Plan in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency.
Jun. 13, 2012
Wang Chen, director of the International Communication Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the State Council Information Office, answered questions concerning China's formulation of the Action Plan in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency. He said,"The promulgation of the new National Human Rights Action Plan indicates the Chinese government's determination to further the cause of human rights in China in an all-round way, and also signals that the cause of human rights in China has entered a new stage, which is being advanced in a planned, steady and comprehensive fashion."
Jun. 18, 2012
The National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2012-2015) was already published by People's Publishing House and it starts to be sold at Xinhua Bookstores.
Jun. 20, 2012
China issued a white paper on its rare earth industry, the first of its kind in the country, as the world's largest rare earth producer strives to better protect the valuable resources. The white paper said its publication was aimed at giving the international community a better understanding of China's rare earth industry and policies.
Jun. 24, 2012
Remarkable achievements have been made on poverty alleviation and development in China during the past ten years. The basic living factors like food, clothing, sheltering for the rural residences have been basically solved. Based on the original poverty line, the number of rural residences who were accounted as in poverty decreased to 26.88 million at the end of 2010. We completed the task of poverty reduction set in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals ahead of the agenda, which makes a significant contribution to the cause of global poverty reduction.
Jun. 25, 2012
More than one-third of China's provincial-level governments have released wage growth targets for workers in 2012, with most of them trimming down salary increases as companies face decreasing profits amid a slowing economy.
Of the 12 local governments that had released wage plans, including Yunnan Province, Tianjin, Beijing, Shandong Province, most have targeted 14-percent wage growth in 2012, the highest expectations of wage growth were most over 20-percent and the lowest were around 5-percent.
Jun. 27, 2012
A draft revision to the law on protecting senior citizens' rights and interests was submitted to China's top legislature on Jun. 26, 2012, in the wake of an increasing aged population. The bill was tabled for first reading at the bimonthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee. Experts on laws said that by revising the law China would improve the welfare of 185 million seniors, thus increaseing the "index of happiness".
Jun. 27, 2012
The draft amendments to the Law Guaranteeing the Rights and Interests of Senior Citizens was read for the first time at the 27th session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.
In the draft revision, China has made it a "long-term national strategic task" to take care of its rapidly aging population.
Based on the draft revision, which has added 38 articles to the current 50-article law, government administrations at all levels are required to guarantee funding for projects concerning the welfare of citizens.
Jun. 28, 2012
China implemented a new multi-tier electricity pricing system. Under the new system, the residential electricity rate increases as the electricity consumption base amount increases. 16 of China's provincial-level governments released their trial system. Most of them set the standard of electricity consumption higher than that in the hearing meetings, except Beijing and Shanghai who calculate the electricity consumption on a yearly basis. Of the 16 provinces and municipal cities, most of them divide the price into three levels, while some also take season, weather and gemology into consideration.
July 4, 2012
The State Council on July 3, 2012 announced a decision to markedly improve food safety, aiming to effectively solve prominent problems in three years.
According to a State Council statement posted online, the government also aims to establish a better regulation mechanism, legal and standard system as well as technical support for food safety and improve the overall food safety management level of the food industry in around five years.
July 7, 2012
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on July 7, 2012 the government will resolutely implement real estate market regulation and make it a long-term task to curb speculation in this sector.
During an inspection tour of the city of Changzhou in east China's Jiangsu province, Wen said housing market regulation is still at a critical moment and remains a tough task.
Wen's remarks came as major Chinese cities saw home prices rise mildly in June, raising fears that a new price surge would begin despite recent government attempts to cool the property market through measures including restrictions on second-home purchases, higher down payments and the introduction of property taxes.
July 9, 2012
China and Australia held the 14th round of human rights dialogue at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra.
The dialogue had become a wide-ranging discussion between delegates including parliamentarians and senior officials from a range of agencies from both countries.
July 9, 2012
The Chinese central government on July 9, 2012 promulgated a new regulation designed to reduce administrative costs for government and public institutions.
The regulation explicitly prohibits government agencies from purchasing luxury items, goods or commodities above certain standards, as well as defines a frugal working style for the country's civil servants.
July 10, 2012
The central government issued a new regulation on July 10, 2012 to improve accessibility environment for disabled people.
Parking lots, commercial centers, living quarters, transportation facilities and other public infrastructure facilities must be accessible for disabled people, according to a regulation posted on the central government's website.
The regulation, which goes into effect on Aug. 1, encourages public venues to offer free services for the disabled.
July 18, 2012
The State Council, or China's cabinet, issued the first national plan for public services, the country's top economic planning agency said on July 18, 2012.
The government will intensify its efforts to improve basic public services and promote equal access to these services for all people during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said.
Establishing a basic public services system will help protect the people's interests, accelerate the country's economic growth and boost domestic demand, the NDRC said.
July 21, 2012
The heaviest rain in 61 years that lashed Beijing on July 21, 2012 left 79 people dead.
July 23, 2012
Chinese President Hu Jintao on July 23, 2012 called on officials to "unswervingly" carry forward the reform and opening-up and "confidently" overcome all difficulties and risks on the road ahead.
Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks when addressing the opening session of a workshop for ministerial officials and provincial heads, ahead of the CPC's upcoming 18th National Congress.
Taking into account the domestic and overseas situation, China is faced with both unprecedented opportunities and challenges, Hu said.
Hu vowed to continue China's scientific development, promote social harmony and improve people's welfare.
July 23, 2012
China and the United states held a new round of human rights talks in Washington on July 23 and 24.
Both China and the United States are willing to continue their talks about human rights on the basis of equality and mutual respect, the Chinese delegation to the latest round of China-U.S. human rights dialogue said.
Both sides believe that the dialogue was "candid, open and constructive," and helped "improve mutual understanding and reduce misunderstanding," said a statement from the Chinese delegation.
July 24, 2012
A new national database had been hailed as a major step toward allowing couples on the Chinese mainland to get married where they live, rather than where they have their permanent residence.
Until then, couples had to register their nuptials in the place where they hold hukou, or permanent household registration.
However, the database, which went into operation at the end of last month, will make it possible for people, including migrant workers, to file the paperwork anywhere, Yu Jianliang, director of social affairs for the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said at a news conference in Beijing on July 24, 2012.
The national database will connect databases in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and will store the marriage records of every citizen, which will help the government to better manage population information and prevent marital fraud, Yu said.
July 26, 2012
Families of people hurt or killed performing acts of heroism would receive help with their medical costs, living expenses and accommodation, as the government looked to build a safety net for Good Samaritans.
Experts said the measures, announced on July 26, 2012 by the State Council, would help battle the "bystander effect" and encourage more people to assist others in times of need.
According to the new regulations, human resource departments would need to prioritize giving employment opportunities to people who have been rewarded by authorities for their heroism.
In addition, for those who lost their lives helping others, local governments or their employers should pay families subsidies, as well as provide favorable policies to ensure their children have access to education.
Heroes with low incomes will also be given priority if they are on the waiting list for affordable housing programs or State-sponsored house renovation programs.
Seven government agencies including the ministries of civil affairs and health would carry out the new regulations.
July 28, 2012
2012 London Olympic Games opened.
July 30, 2012
Training classes on human rights were held by the State Council Information Office in Chengdu. Over 100 trainees, from information office of local governments, attend the training, which started on July 30, 2012. Liu Xuan, official from State Council Information Office, delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony, stressing on the objective and importance of human rights training classes. Besides, during the training, human rights scholars also give lectures respectively on human rights action plan and human rights theory and practice, human rights protection in judicial reform, safety in production and human rights protection, and so on.
August 1, 2012
Local people won't be given antibiotics for colds so easily starting August 1, 2012, as a new national rule and its detailed local guidance took effect to strictly regulate doctors' prescribing and use of antibiotics, said the Shanghai Health Bureau.
Aug. 6, 2012
Six out of 10 Chinese people will live in cities by 2020 as the exodus from rural areas continues to boost the migrant population, a report said.
China reached a landmark moment last year when 51.27 percent of the population was classified as urban dwellers.
At the end of 2011 there were about 230 million people classified as migrants, accounting for about 17 percent of the population, and 80 percent of these came from rural areas, the National Population and Family Planning Commission said in its third annual report.
Migrants are defined as people who live away from their registered place of hukou, or residence permit.
Aug. 8, 2012
Passenger vehicles would get a free pass on expressways in Beijing from Sept 30 to Oct 7, 2012, according to the Beijing Capital Highway Development Group, a State-owned company responsible for construction and operation of expressways in the capital.
Passenger cars with seven seats or less as well as motorcycles would get a free pass through toll roads, bridges and tunnels during Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, Labor Day and National Day, according to a notice by the State Council.
It would be up to local governments to choose whether to remove tolls on airport highways, the notice said.
The Ministry of Transport said that starting from the National Day holiday this year, the toll exemption policy should be implemented for passenger cars nationwide.
Aug. 8, 2012
Chinese people celebrate the fourth National Fitness Day with various sports exercises on Aug. 8, 2012. Aug 8 was made the National Fitness Day by the State Council in 2009 to remember Beijing 2008 Olympics Games and meet growing demand for public sports, as well as to help people establish a healthy lifestyle with exercise.
Aug. 12, 2012
Central Committee of CPC and the State Council congratulated Chinese delegation for their performance in 30th Olympic Games.
Aug. 13, 2012
China would accelerate its pace in setting up national standards of food safety in order to safeguard the public, a senior supervision official with China's Ministry of Health said on Aug. 13, 2012.
At a press conference, Su Zhi said that China had now formulated more than 2,000 national, 2,900 industry and 1,200 local standards that are related to food and additives.
"However, problems still exist in the present standards of food safety due to the restricted development of food industry and ability of risk assessment," Su said.
The standards would be set up by the end of 2015. According to the plan of setting up national standards of food safety, China would further improve the management mechanism of food safety and establish a normative and transparent working model.
The plan also asked for all related departments to study the national standards and urges food manufactures to follow the standards.
The ministry would publish a report on the standards relating to more than 5,000 kinds of food, as well as revising the regulations on food pollutants and pathogenic bacteria, Su added.
Aug. 13, 2012
A circular was issued in China on Aug. 13, 2012 to ask local governments to better implement the regulation on school bus safety management by mapping out a transitional period.
Issued by the Ministry of Education and another 19 departments responsible for school bus safety, the circular urged local governments to establish a school bus safety management system, set a reasonable transitional period and make detailed provisions in terms of school bus permissions, school bus drivers' qualifications and legal responsibilities.
The focus of the management work should be put on rural areas where schooling is beyond the reach of public transport and nearby schooling is not feasible, said the circular.
The authorities also urged local governments in all areas to encourage major passenger transport enterprises to be engaged for professional school bus operations.
Aug. 13, 2012
National authorities issued new action standards for filial piety with the aim of providing better care for senior citizens in the modern era, Beijing News reported.
The new standards suggested adult children spend holidays with parents, cook meals for and make weekly phone calls to them, teach them to surf the Internet and buy them proper insurance.
People were also advised to care more about the mental health of their parents through such ways as helping widowed parents get remarried and listening to parents retell anecdotes from the past.
National authorities had been making efforts lately to update care guidelines for senior citizens. Adult children of elderly parents were required to visit their parents regularly, in a draft amendment to China's law on protection of the rights and interests of the elderly, which was submitted to the nation's top legislature for review in June.
Aug. 15, 2012
Activists from Hong Kong landed on the Diaoyu Islands on Aug. 15, 2012
Aug. 15, 2012
Screens for tuberculosis (TB) should be included in physical examinations for students, as well as people working in certain industries, according to a draft regulation issued by the Ministry of Health on Aug. 15, 2012.
A draft amendment to the TB Prevention and Control Regulation was published on Aug. 15, 2012 by the ministry for public comment.
According to the draft, infected TB patients must be prevented from engaging in activity that could cause the virus to spread, while TB screening should be included in physical examinations for staff working in sectors related to TB prevention and treatment, food, drugs and cosmetics, as well as for teachers, newly-enrolled students, dairy workers and those whose work causes them to come into contact with dust and harmful gases.
Aug. 17, 2012
Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu spoke at the 2012 China Health Forum in Beijing, Aug. 17, 2012. The theme of the Forum was "Deepening Health Reform, Improving Prevention & Control of NCDs (non-communicable diseases) and Pursuing Sustainable Health Development".
Aug. 20, 2012
A Chinese court sentenced Bogu Kailai to death with a two-year reprieve for intentional homicide on Aug. 20, 2012.
Zhang Xiaojun, an accessary in the case, was sentenced to nine years in prison.
The verdict was announced by the Hefei Municipal Intermediate People's Court in east China's Anhui Province.
Aug. 21, 2012
Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang inspects a service center of low-income housing in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 21, 2012.
Aug. 21, 2012
China planed to invest 2.37 trillion yuan (375.6 billion U.S. dollars) in major energy-saving projects during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), according to a document released by the State Council.
Aug. 27, 2012
Senior Chinese leader Zhou Yongkang urged consolidating and expanding the reform of the country's law enforcement system in order to better ensure justice for the people.
Zhou, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks Monday at a meeting on judicial system reform.
At the meeting, officials with the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Justice delivered reports on establishing a case-oriented system, improving the monitoring mechanism over detention centers, regulating law enforcement activities and reforming the lawyer system, among other issues.
Aug. 27-31, 2012
A draft amendment to the Civil Procedure Law would allow a third party to bring legal action if civil rights and interests are infringed upon by malicious litigation.
The draft was undergoing a third reading by the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, China's top legislature, at a bimonthly session that began on Aug. 27, 2012.
The draft included a new clause allowing third parties to appeal court decisions if they have evidence that the court's verdict, ruling or mediation has violated their rights and interests.
As more and more Chinese people become aware that civil action can protect their legal rights and interests in economic disputes, malicious lawsuits have increasingly taken up judicial resources and obstructed justice.
Aug. 28, 2012
Mental-heath patients facing compulsory hospitalization and treatment could appeal the decision in court instead of relying on medical appraisals, a draft law proposes.
The draft law on mental health, which went to the National People's Congress Standing Committee for its second reading on Aug. 27, 2012, stated that mental-health patients and their relatives can sue administrative agencies, hospitals and other institutions if they believe the patient's rights have been violated.
The change targeted patients who are forced to receive treatment in a hospital because they "threaten the safety of others or have impeded the safety of others", according to the draft law.
The proposed change was introduced after calls for courts to make decisions about forced hospitalization and treatment to prevent power abuses, experts said.
Aug. 28, 2012
An accident happened at around 2 a.m. in Yan'an, Shaanxi Province, when a double-decker sleeper bus crashed into a methanol-loaded tanker and caught fire.
Only three out of the 39 people on board the bus survived, but they all suffered injuries. The driver of the bus also died, police said.
The 39-seat bus was full at the time of the crash, which occurred about 200 meters from Huaziping service station on the Baotou-Maoming expressway linking northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Guangdong Province in the south.
The State Council sent an investigation team to Yan'an to look into the accident and oversee the rescue efforts, said officials with the State Administration of Work Safety.
Ministry of Transport announced a sweeping inspection of long-distance bus safety, ordering local transport authorities to immediately launch a comprehensive examination of all long-distance buses and routes to eliminate potential safety hazards.
Buses that fail in safety checks would be banned from roads, according to the ministry.
Aug. 29, 2012
The State Council, China's Cabinet, approved a string of new measures to narrow the gap in fundamental educational levels between the nation's urban and rural areas.
China had provided children with universal access to fundamental education, or the nine-year compulsory education system that covers elementary and junior high education, but the quality of education differs among regions and schools, according to an executive meeting of the State Council presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao.
Promoting a balanced and quality fundamental education would be a primary task for the nation in the coming years, according to the meeting.
According to the new measures approved, the government would raise educational investment in rural or poverty-hit areas.
Aug. 29, 2012
London 2012 Paralympic Games opened on Aug. 29, 2012.
Aug. 30, 2012
China announced a decision to expand the coverage of the country's healthcare insurance system to include the treatment of critical illnesses, aiming to prevent patients from being reduced to poverty by necessary healthcare costs.
The new arrangement would further increase the level of protection that China's healthcare insurance system can offer, according to a document co-issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and five other central government departments.
Aug. 31, 2012
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao inspected the construction of affordable housing in Tianjin on Aug. 31, 2012.
Sept. 2, 2012
Death toll from colliery blast in southwest China's Sichuan Province had climbed to 45, with one still missing, authorities said on Sept. 2, 2012 .
Search was continuing in the Xiaojiawan Coal Mine in Panzhihua City, some 750 km southwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital, according to the press office of the Panzhihua city government.
The mine was struck by a gas blast at around 5 p.m. on Aug. 29, trapping about a third of the 154 miners who were working underground and injuring 54 others, 17 of them seriously.
Initial probe indicated that chaotic management and sheer ignorance of safety rules in the mine, owned by Zhengjin Industry and Trade Co., Ltd., were mainly to blame for the accident.
Sept. 11, 2012
The State Oceanic Administration on Sept. 11, 2012 formally introduced maritime environment forecasting for the sea areas around the Diaoyu Islands.
Calling the move part of its official responsibilities, the administration said in a statement that the Diaoyu Islands have been China's inherent territory since ancient times and the surrounding sea areas have been part of the country's traditional territorial waters.
"China has indisputable sovereignty over them," the statement reads.
Sept. 7, 2012
Many people rushed out buildings in southwest China on Sept. 7, 2012 as an earthquake measuring 5.7 jolted the border area of Yunnan Province and its neighboring province of Guizhou.
The earthquake hit the border area of Yiliang county of Yunnan and Weining county of Guizhou at 11:19 a.m. and the depth of its epicenter was about 14 km at 27.5 degrees north latitude and 104.0 degrees east longitude, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).
Sept. 10, 2012
Japanese government officially decided to purchased China's Diaoyu Islands from its self-claimed Japanese owners on Sept. 10, 2012 and bought the Diaoyu Islands with more than 2.05 billion yen (26.15 million U.S. dollars) on Sept. 11, 2012. Chinese government claimed Japan's so-called "purchase" of the islands and other unilateral actions are illegal and invalid.
Sept. 10, 2012
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Sept. 10, 2012 urgently summoned Japanese Ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa for a meeting to lodge solemn representations and strong protest against the Japanese government's illegal "buying" of the Diaoyu Islands.
Yang said that the Diaoyu Islands and their affiliated islets have been inherent territory of China since ancient times, backed by historical and legal evidence. The Japanese government's so-called "purchase" of the islands and other unilateral actions are illegal and invalid.
The Japanese actions can not change the historical facts of Japan's occupation of Chinese territory, as well as China's territorial sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands, according to Yang, who stressed that the Chinese government and people will resolutely safeguard their territorial sovereignty.
Sept. 12, 2012
A senior leader on Wednesday called on the country's citizens to learn from the "unyielding spirit" displayed by Chinese athletes who competed in the 2012 London Paralympics.
Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks during a meeting with the athletes' delegation.
Li described the Paralympics as "a stage for the handicapped to display their strong will," adding that Chinese athletes set multiple records at this year's games.
Sept 14, 2012
Two Chinese surveillance ship fleets arrived waters around Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands on Sept 14, 2012 and started patrol and law enforcement there.
Sept. 15, 2012
The State Oceanic Administration (SOA) on Sept. 15, 2012 released a string of geographic coordinates of the Diaoyu Island and some of its affiliated islets, in a new move to affirm China's sovereignty.
The SOA announcement details the exact longitude and latitude of the Diaoyu Island and 70 of its affiliated islets while publishes location maps, three-dimension effect graphs and sketch maps for the Diaoyu Islands.
The announcement aims to help the public understand the information concerning the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islets, the SOA said in a statement on its website.
Sept. 17, 2012
The National Library of China on Sept. 17, 2012 presented historical documents, atlases and ancient journals regarding the Diaoyu Islands and their affiliated islets in the East China Sea.
The documents were intended to demonstrate that China discovered the Diaoyu Islands at the beginning of the 15th century, as well as put them under its jurisdiction as affiliated islets of Taiwan.
Sept. 17 -18, 2012
The tenth sino-German human rights seminar was held in Chengde, Hebei province from Sept. 17 to 18, 2012.
Sept. 17, 2012
By the end of June 2012, 343,641 rural Chinese had been covered by a medical insurance program designed to provide financial aid to seriously ill patients, new data revealed on Sept. 17, 2012 have shown.
Among them are more than 4,000 children suffering leukemia and over 14,000 children suffering congenital heart disease. The reimbursement rate of the two diseases has risen to 74.1 percent and 77 percent respectively, according to figures released at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office to introduce developments in the country's health system.
The program started operating in June 2010, covering two diseases: childhood leukemia and congenital heart disease, expanded to covering eight diseases in 2011, and further rising to 20 this year.
Sept. 18, 2012
The 81st anniversary of the "September 18 Incident," which directly preceded Japan's invasion of northeast China, was remembered by the Chinese people across the country on Tuesday. On Sept. 18, 1931, Japanese troops blew up a section of the railway under its control near Shenyang, then accused Chinese troops of sabotage as a pretext for war. They bombarded the barracks of Chinese troops near Shenyang the same evening, thus starting a large-scale armed invasion of northeast China.
Sept. 18, 2012
More than 343,000 rural Chinese had been covered by a medical insurance program designed to provide financial aid to seriously ill patients, new data revealed on Sept. 17, 2012 have shown.
Among them were more than 4,000 children suffering leukemia and over 14,000 children suffering congenital heart disease. The reimbursement rate of the two diseases had risen to 74.1 percent and 77 percent respectively, according to figures released at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office to introduce developments in the country's health system.
The program started operating in June 2010, covering two diseases: childhood leukemia and congenital heart disease, expanded to covering eight diseases in 2011, and further rising to 20 in 2012.
Sept. 23, 2012
A delegation of China's NPC met with U.S. Congressmen on the Capitol Hill Thursday, on a mission to boost ties between the two countries and dispel misunderstandings about the situation in China's Tibet Autonomous Region.J. Stapleton Roy, a former U.S. ambassador to China, addresses a meeting with a delegation of Tibetan legislators of the China's National People's Congress (NPC) in Washington, the United States, Sept. 20, 2012.
Sept. 25, 2012
Chinese authorities would inspect during the upcoming National Day holidays whether the policy which allowed free passage of cars on the country's expressways was well implemented.
Local inspection authorities had been told to check whether expressway toll stations, expressway service areas and parking lots in scenic spots nationwide were carrying out the toll-free policy, said a circular issued by the Ministry of Supervision and the State Council Office of Redressing Malpractices.
Chinese authorities adopted a new regulation which exempts passenger cars taking expressways from tolls during the Spring Festival, Tomb Sweeping Day, Labor Day and National Day holidays, starting October in 2012.
Sept. 25, 2012
Failure to demonstrate China's complete territory when drawing up related maps may result in tougher punishment, according to a draft of regulations released on Sept. 25, 2012.
The draft, which was expected to replace the current regulations becoming effective in 1995, was published by the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council, asking for public opinion.
Sept. 25, 2012
The Chinese government issued a white paper on Diaoyu Dao on Sept. 25, 2012, asserting the country's indisputable sovereignty over it and its affiliated islands.
Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands are an inseparable part of the Chinese territory, it is China's inherent territory in all historical, geographical and legal terms, and China enjoys indisputable sovereignty over Diaoyu Dao, the white paper says.
The white paper, titled "Diaoyu Dao, an Inherent Territory of China", was released by the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China.
Sept. 28, 2012
The Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body, would meet in November, following the opening of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
The 11th CPPCC National Committee's Standing Committee would hold its 19th conference with a proposed agenda to "study and implement the spirit of the CPC's 18th National Congress," Xinhua learned from authorities on Sept. 28, 2012.
Sept. 28, 2012
"Diaoyu Dao, an Inherent Territory of China", a white paper issued on Sept. 25 by the State Council Information Office (SCIO), was officially released on Sept. 28, 2012. The white paper, which comes in Chinese, English and Japanese versions, asserts China's indisputable sovereignty over Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands.
Oct. 1, 2012
Top leaders laid flower baskets at the Monument to the People's Heroes in the heart of Beijing on Oct. 1, 2012 to mark the National Day.
Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang participated in the ceremony held at the Tian'anmen Square, where the monument stands, and paid their respect to those who sacrificed for the nation's independence and liberation.
Oct. 6, 2012
Chinese Premier reached mountainous Yiliang County, one of the worst-hit areas, around 1 a.m. Oct. 6, 2012. He spent a sleepless night visiting quake survivors and inspected relief efforts.
Oct. 9, 2012
The Chinese government issued a white paper on judicial reform on Oct. 9, 2012, highlighting the progress that has been made in safeguarding justice and protecting human rights.
The white paper was issued by the Information Office of the State Council.
Apart from reviewing China's judicial system and reform process, the white paper focuses maintaining social fairness, justice and human rights protections.
Oct. 10, 2012
The government decided to reduce or adjust the number of items subject to central government approval by 314 in order to further transform governmental functions.
According to a list made public on Oct. 10, 2012, the State Council, China's cabinet, would remove 171 administrative approval items, while the power to approve another 117 items would be handed down to government departments at lower levels.
In addition, 17 items would be merged into other items, while another nine items would be sent to fewer government departments for approval.
Oct. 11, 2012
Mo Yan's winning of 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature showed the world's recognition of China's contemporary literature, according to the China Writers Association.
It also represented the attentions drawn to Chinese writers and the international influences of Chinese literature, said an official statement from the organization on Oct. 11, 2012 evening.
Mo is the first Chinese national to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Oct. 11, 2012
A foreign ministry spokesman, Hong Lei, on Oct. 11, 2012 slammed a U.S. report involving China, urging the U.S. side to stop issuing such "groundless remarks" against the nation.
Spokesman made the appeal at a regular press briefing when commenting on the annual report issued by the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
China hopes the commission would respect facts, forsake prejudices and stop behaviors and words that interfere with China's internal affairs and harm bilateral ties, Hong said.
The Chinese government puts people first and governs for the people, while protecting and promoting Chinese citizens' rights in accordance with the law, Hong said, adding that China has achieved remarkable progress in this regard.
Oct. 16, 2012
Qiushi (Seeking Truth), the flagship magazine of the Communist Party of China (CPC), included an article calling for further implementation of the country's reform and opening-up policy.
Titled "Sparing no effort to push forward reform and opening up," the article quotes CPC Central Committee General Secretary Hu Jintao's speech July 23, saying Hu underscored the significance of the policy on building socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Oct 16, 2012
Construction of China's third pipeline that would send natural gas from the nation's resource-rich western regions to the energy-starved east started on Oct 16, 2012.
The pipeline is expected to transmit 30 billion cubic meters of gas annually. It will measure 7,378 km and cross 10 provinces and autonomous regions, including Xinjiang, Gansu, and Ningxia.
The third pipeline is a key project approved in 2012 by the State Council, the country's Cabinet. It consists of one trunk line and eight branch lines.
Oct. 22, 2012
The Communist Party of China (CPC) would amend the Party Constitution at its upcoming 18th National Congress scheduled for Nov. 8, according to a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held on Oct. 22, 2012.
The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee decided to submit a draft amendment for the CPC Constitution to the seventh Plenum of the 17th CPC Central Committee for further discussion on Nov. 1 before it will be tabled for the national congress.
The meeting, presided over by Hu Jintao, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, also discussed a draft report by the CPC's 17th Central Committee to the 18th CPC National Congress and decided to table it for the seventh Plenum of the 17th CPC Central Committee for further review.
Oct. 24, 2012
China on Oct. 24, 2012 issued the 2012 edition of a white paper on its energy policy to elaborate on the world's largest energy producer's policies on energy development, conservation and the promotion of renewable power sources.
The white paper, titled "China's Energy Policy 2012," was released by the Information Office of the State Council, or China's cabinet.
During the 1981-2011 period, China's energy consumption increased by 5.82 percent annually, underpinning the 10-percent annual growth of the national economy, said the white paper.
China has built up a comprehensive energy supply system comprising coal, electricity, petroleum, natural gas, and new and renewable resources, according to the document.
Oct. 26, 2012
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, wrapped up its bi-monthly session on Oct. 26, 2012, passing a mental health law and amendments to eight existing laws.
President Hu Jintao signed presidential decrees to formally declare the decisions.
The mental health law, which was adopted after three readings, is expected to protect the rights of mentally ill people, reduce abuse and raise public awareness of mental disorders.
Under the law, there should be no infringement upon the dignity, personal safety or property of mentally ill people.
Nov. 1, 2012
The media center for the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China began serving journalists at home and abroad from November 1st, 2012.
Based at the Beijing Media Center Hotel, the center handled credentials and applications for foreign journalists and correspondents from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, as well as the Taiwan region.
The media center also helped organize press conferences related to the congress and arrange interviews for reporters. It provided necessary information and technical support for journalists.
Nov. 1 - 4, 2012
The Seventh Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held from Nov.1 to 4 in Beijing.
Altogether 200 members and 165 alternate members of the CPC Central Committee attended the meeting, with members of the CPC's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and leading officials of relevant departments present as non-voting members.
Nov. 8, 2012
18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) opened at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing on Nov. 8, 2012, and Hu Jintao delivered a report to the congress on behalf of the 17th CPC Central Committee.
The underlying theme of the congress is "to hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, follow the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Represents and the Scientific Outlook on Development, free up the mind, implement the policy of reform and opening up, pool our strength, overcome all difficulties, firmly march on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and strive to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects."
Nov. 15, 2012
Xi Jinping presides over the first plenary session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 15, 2012.
Nov. 20, 2012
China will continued to fulfill its obligations as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and provide necessary assistance to underdeveloped nations, State Councilor Liu Yandong said on Nov. 20, 2012.
China will deepen its cooperation with the UN Children's Fund and join the global community in working to ensure that all children have equal rights and opportunities, Liu said at celebrations held to mark the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the convention.
Nov. 21, 2012
China set Dec 2 as the annual National Traffic Safety Day to raise public awareness about road safety, according to a statement released by the State Council on Nov. 21, 2012.
Nov. 22, 2012
The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) on Nov. 22, 2012 released an updated set of criminal procedural rules for procuratorates, which were heavily modified to fit the demands of the amended Criminal Procedure Law.
The rules, seen as a key judicial explanatory document to guide prosecuting organs' work in criminal cases, gained as many as 240 new articles with detailed stipulations on defense attorneys, evidence, case reception, special procedures and case management, according to an SPP statement.
Nov. 24, 2012
The first official map of the newly-established Sansha city in south China's Hainan Province was published on Nov. 24, 2012.
Nov. 26, 2012
Vice-Premier Li Keqiang vowed more support, especially in registration and funding, for grassroots organizations committed to combating HIV/AIDS.
Li pledged the greater support during a meeting on Nov. 26, 2012 with representatives of non-government organizations helping to combat HIV/AIDS.
Nov. 26, 2012
Authorities on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have held high-profile symposiums to mark the 20th anniversary of the "1992 Consensus" this month.
To seek and set political foundations for cross-Strait negotiations, in November 1992, the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) reached what is called the "1992 Consensus," an agreement that calls for both sides to adhere to the one-China principle.
Nov. 27, 2012
China Society For Human Rights Studies , CSHRS for short, held a symposium urging thorough study and implementation of the spirit of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Nov. 28, 2012
Rural stability and grain supply security face a number of challenges due to excessive land expropriation in the country's urbanization move, China's cabinet has warned.
The cabinet demanded more reforms and a better legal system to solve the problem, vowing stricter regulation on farmland expropriation.
An executive meeting of the State Council, presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao, passed a draft law amendment that altered rules on how to compensate farmers whose collectively-owned land is expropriated, the statement said.
Nov. 29, 2012
A commission under the World Health Organization (WHO) announced in Beijing on Nov. 29, 2012 that China has retained its polio-free status, after successfully combating a severe outbreak in 2011.
After more than 10 years of being labeled as a "polio-free" country, China confirmed four cases of wild poliovirus infection in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Aug. 25, 2011.
Upon request, WHO labs later found the poliovirus was imported from neighboring Pakistan, where the disease remains endemic.
Nov. 30, 2012
Vice President Xi Jinping on Nov. 30, 2012 visited a group of people living with HIV/AIDS in Beijing, urging society to abandon discrimination against such groups and "to light their life with love."
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, talked to HIV carriers, doctors and anti-AIDS volunteers at a community clinic in south Beijing on the eve of World AIDS Day.
Nov. 30, 2012
Premier Wen Jiabao on Nov. 30, 2012 pledged that the government will do more to prevent and control the spread of AIDS.
Wen made the remarks in a meeting with representatives of HIV carriers, children orphaned by AIDS, medical and health science staff, volunteers, petitioners and people from relevant international organizations in Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the central government in downtown Beijing.
Dec. 2, 2012
China marked its first national day for road safety on Dec. 2, 2012 with exhibitions, lectures and online discussions exhorting pedestrians and drivers to observe traffic signals, with failure to adhere to them blamed as a major cause of deaths on the country's roads.
Dec. 3-4, 2012
A seminar on justice and human rights was held in Haikou, Hainan province. Nearly 40 scholars and officials from United States and China attended the meeting.
Dec. 4, 2012
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, pledged on Dec. 4, 2012 to promote the authority of the Constitution and the rule of law.
Xi said all citizens are equal before the law, human rights should be respected and safeguarded, and people's extensive rights and freedom should be guaranteed.
He made the comments at a congress marking the 30th anniversary of the implementation of China's 1982 Constitution at the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing.
Dec. 12-13, 2012
The Fifth Beijing Forum on Human Rights opened on Dec. 12, 2012 with experts and officials calling for efforts through science and technology and better environmental protection.
Themed Science and Technology, Environment and Human Rights, year 2012's forum had three sub-themes, namely "scientific and technological development and human rights", "era of information and human rights", and "environment and human rights".
Dec. 13, 2013
Hundreds of mourners lit candles at a vigil held in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing on Dec. 12, 2013 night for the people killed after the city fell to Japanese invaders in World War II.
Dec. 13 marks the 75th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre. On Dec. 13, 1937, Japanese invaders seized the city and started a month-long atrocity that left more than 300,000 local civilians and demobilized servicemen dead.
Dec. 21-22, 2012
China would look to improve farmers' income growth and reduce obstacles in agricultural development in 2013, in a bid to boost vitality in rural areas, according to an annual conference.
At the Central Rural Work Conference that closed on Dec. 22, 2012, Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu said while improving the country's basic rural system, China would focus on fostering new types of agricultural businesses.
This would require maintaining stable land contract relationships on the basis of household contract management while guiding the orderly transfer of farmers' land contract management rights, said Han.
Dec. 24, 2012
The country's top court on Dec. 24, 2012 released a judicial interpretation for the amended Criminal Procedure Law to help courts better adapt to the revised law and ensure clients' rights.
The lengthy interpretation mainly targets newly added or revised provisions of the amended law and explains relevant provisions that need to be further defined, according to a statement from the Supreme People's Court (SPC).
Dec. 24-28, 2012
China's top legislature on Dec. 28, 2012 concluded a bimonthly session in which revised laws were adopted and the country's new police chief was appointed.
Members of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee voted to revise the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly, the Law on Funds for Investment in Securities as well as the Agriculture Law.
Legislators also approved an amendment to the Labor Contract Law.
Dec. 26, 2012
China reiterated its ban on corporal punishment and forced self-incrimination in police investigations in a revised regulation on the handling of criminal cases.
The revised regulation, released on Dec. 26, 2012 by the Ministry of Public Security, was aimed at helping courts adapt to the newly amended Criminal Procedure Law, which stresses "respecting and protecting human rights."
The regulation features a provision that bans coerced confessions and torture in its general principle chapter, as well as clarifies the range of activities that may be recorded or videotaped to boost real-time investigation monitoring.
Dec. 26, 2012
China's central government on Dec. 26, 2012 issued a white paper on the country's medical and health services, noting that medical and health care systems covering both urban and rural residents have taken shape.
The white paper, "Medical and Health Services in China", was released by the Information Office of the State Council, or China's Cabinet, saying that China has kept advancing the reform of its health care system to ensure that every resident has access to safe, effective, convenient and affordable services.
The paper revealed that the health of the Chinese people was then among the top in developing countries with an overall life expectancy of 74.8 years in 2010, 72.4 years for males and 77.4 years for females.
Dec. 31, 2012
Detainees in the country's detention centers should be respected and their legal rights protected under new rules released on Dec. 31, 2012 by China's Ministry of Public Security.
According to the rules, detention centers should stick to lawful, scientific and civilized management, and they should protect the detainees' safety and legal rights as well as respect them.
The regulations ban warders from insulting and torturing detainees or manipulating others to do so.
