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To keep our readers up to date, EAI is releasing and compiling the executive summary of its latest background briefs as useful insights for some of the latest development in China and the region.
Latest Insights Chinese State Media Going Global
ZHANG Xiaoling, 5 November 2009
The Chinese government has boosted its investment in the media sector to convert it into one of China's key public diplomacy outlets, break the Anglo-American monopoly, enhance China's international influence and showcase its rise as a great power. There are, however, many challenges ahead such as having to compete with both the well-established transnational companies such as BBC and CNN and the newly emerging ones such as Al-Jazeera and France 24 in a crowded global media sphere to have its voice heard in the global flow of information. The Chinese media also suffer from inherent limitations such as low credibility and constraints on timeliness on breaking events. A more independent media is thus needed to reinforce messages generated by the government.
Hatoyama's East Asian Community and Sino-Japanese Relation
YANG Lijun & LIM Chee Kia, 28 October 2009
The Chinese media tend to read too much into Hatoyama's East Asian Community (EAC) and speculated primarily on the EAC membership and the country to dominate the region. Hatoyama has formulated an elaborate balance of power plan that seeks to counter both China and US in the interest of Japan. This will include countering the rise of the Chinese military with a military alliance with the US and countering the US-led laissez faire economy with the economic integration of East Asia. While Japan bandwagons on China's economic growth to jumpstart its own economy, it will also enlist the help of ASEAN to regulate China's economic activities.
China Moves To Reform Its Health Care System
ZHAO Litao & HUANG Yanjie, 22 October 2009
In early April 2009, the Chinese government released a Guideline and an Action Plan to reform the healthcare system. The central and local governments will spend 850 billion RMB (US$124 billion) by 2011 to kick start the new health care reform which will consist of a universal medical insurance system, a mainly public-funded multi-layered system of hospitals and clinics and a separate pharmaceutical sector. Fruits of extensive consultation and debate, the new reform plan takes due account of the conflicting interests of different groups. The reform, led by Vice Premier Li Keqiang, aims to offer quality public health and inexpensive medical services by rationalising the current problem-ridden healthcare system.
Welfare Housing Programs In Urban China
YAN Hao, 22 October 2009
Housing reform has been part of the overall reform adopted by the Chinese government since the late 1970s. The government has given referential treatment to welfare housing projects such as free land use and tax incentives. In return, developers have to abide by the construction standards set and adhere to restrictions on selling price and eligibility of home buyers. The public housing programme was successful in solving the housing problem of state employees, particularly in the 1950s. However, due to financial constraints, housing shortage has become increasingly severe since the 1960s. This is especially so in large cities such as Beijing and Shanghai where living floor space per head in urban areas was only 6.7 sq metres in 1978.
EU-China Relations: Economics Still In Command?
Kjeld Erik BRØDSGAARD & HONG Wai Mun, 15 October 2009
EU-China diplomatic relations dated back to 1975. Three years thereafter a trade agreement was signed. In 1985 a more comprehensive agreement on trade and economic cooperation was negotiated between the two partners. This agreement still provides the framework for EU-China relations. Although trade between the two partners has flourished, it has been an imbalanced trade relation. The EU has a number of trade and investment disputes with China, mainly with regards to trade and investment barriers. The Chinese on their part complain that the EU tends to bend towards protectionism and often uses anti-dumping as a tool to target lowly priced Chinese products in order to protect their own uncompetitive industries.
For previous insights please refer to our background brief list
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