Chinese Law and Politics Blog

Position: Intern at the Congressional-Executive Commission on China

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China is currently soliciting resumes for fall internships (paid) in Washington, D.C., working on Chinese human rights and rule of law issues.  Interns must be U.S. citizens.

Applications for fall internships must be received by July 15, 2008.  Further details are available below and on the Commission’s Web site at www.cecc.gov.

Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to the CECC via e-mail to Judy.wright@mail.house.gov or via
fax at (202) 226-3804, attention:  Judy Wright, Director of
Administration.

Mainland Authorities Support Operations of Taiwan-Based Buddhist Civil Society Organization

Chinese central authorities have indicated official approval for the mainland operations of one of the largest Taiwan-based Buddhist civil society organizations, the Tzu Chi (Ciji) Foundation. 

Chinese authorities included Tzu Chi among the limited number of organizations and nations invited to send personnel to participate in the relief efforts following the devastating May 12 earthquake in western Sichuan, according to a May 16 International Herald Tribune article.   Earlier this year, Chinese authorities approved Tzu Chi’s application to establish a foundation in mainland China, the first such foundation (as opposed to a representative office) whose legal representative was not a mainland Chinese resident. 

Official approval of Tzu Chi’s application may represent 1) a cautious step toward increasing the legal space available for some civil society organizations to address pressing domestic problems in China and 2) an opening aimed at improving cross-strait relations.

Position: China Manager, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is looking for a manager for their China programs in their Washington office.  The Chamber is a federation of American businesses that seeks to advance member interests through lobbying, policy research, and public outreach.

For more information, see the linked job announcement, or the copy below.

Position: China Analyst, International Crisis Group

The International Crisis Group (Crisis Group) is seeking a China analyst to work in Beijing. The Crisis Group is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization working to prevent and resolve conflict worldwide.

For more information, see their website, or the copy of their job announcement below. 

Position: China Analyst, Eurasia Group

The Eurasia Group is seeking an experienced and motivated analyst of Chinese political affairs, to be located in the firm's New York or Washington, DC offices.

Position: Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Commercial Officer, US Embassy (Beijing)

The U.S. government is looking to fill the position of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Commercial Officer in China for the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (USFCS) and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).  

The position requires knowledge of all fields of IPR and international agreements governing IPR, including IPR office operation and administration, IPR training, and adherence to IPR standards of protection and enforcement.  As an IPR Commercial Officer, the incumbent will act as a resource on China's intellectual property regime for other U.S. Government agencies. 

For more information, see the full job posting on the USA Jobs website. 

NPC To Consider Electoral Reforms Giving Rural Residents Greater Voice

Chinese legislative authorities have proposed reforming the electoral law governing the allocation of seats in local and national legislative bodies in an effort to redress discrimination against rural residents, according to a spokesman of the standing committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) quoted in a March 4 Xinhua article (English, Chinese). 

The PRC Election Law for National and Local People's Congresses establishes a 4:1 urban-rural ratio in electoral representation for national and provincial-level legislative bodies.  Rural legislative deputies to national and provincial bodies consequently represent four times as many constituents as their urban counterparts, leaving migrant and rural interests underrepresented.  [For more analysis, see this post from Don Clarke's China Law Prof Blog].  This reflects a broader pattern of institutional discrimination against migrant and rural residents on the basis of their hukou (household registration) status.  [For more analysis, see this topic paper (English, Chinese) of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.]

NPC spokesman Jiang Enzhu noted China's increasing urbanization created a need to amend the electoral law in order to gradually ensure equal representation for urban and rural residents.  He stated that the NPC standing committee had proposed that the reforms be included in the NPC legislative plan for 2008.  However, he noted that "it is up to the 11th NPC Standing Committee, to be elected at the upcoming session, to make final decision" as to whether to include such reforms.

Position: Yale-China Association Law Fellow

The Yale-China Association is pleased to invite applications for its 2008-2009 Law Fellows Program.  The program places young U.S.-trained attorneys at Chinese universities as visiting professors.  Fellows spend one academic year in residence at a Chinese law school, teaching classes in areas of their own expertise and contributing to clinical education programs at the host institution.  During the 2008-09 academic year, Yale-China will send two Law Fellows to China. One will be placed at the Hunan University School of Law in Changsha, Hunan, and will have the opportunity to help develop the school's new clinical legal education program. The other Fellow will be placed at a law school in the Pearl River Delta region of China.

Anyone with a J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school and two years experience in legal practice is eligible to apply.  Preference will be given to those candidates who speak Chinese, are familiar with China, and have teaching and/or clinical law experience. Fellows will receive intensive Chinese-language instruction during the summer 2008 in Beijing and continued Chinese-language instruction during their residency. Round-trip airfare to China, on-campus housing, health insurance, and a stipend are provided as part of the package.

Application Deadline: March 20, 2008.

For more information, please visit the Yale-China website.

Position: Senior Fellow, Yale China Law Center

The China Law Center at Yale Law School is seeking applications from legal professionals for an open position of Senior Fellow.

This position requires working with senior Center staff to identify, plan, design, and carry out research, academic exchange and collaborative projects involving U.S., Chinese, and other legal experts on topics relevant to Chinese law and policy reform. The Senior Fellow will organize project activities, conduct research and writing related to ongoing projects, maintain communication among project participants in the U.S., China, and elsewhere, facilitate visits by Chinese legal experts, and assist with administering the Center’s operations. This position may require frequent travel to China.

Ministry of Civil Affairs Releases Timetable for 2008-2009 Village Elections

The Ministry of Civil Affairs (MOCA) has released a report on Chinese village committee (VC) elections conducted from 2005 to 2007, and a timetable for those to be held from 2008 to 2009, according to a January 1 report posted on the Chinese government's website.

Since the late 1980s, Chinese authorities have implemented limited electoral reforms that allow citizens to vote in village elections. But Party control over the electoral process remains significant. The MOCA report notes that Party members comprise 66.49 percent of elected VC members, and that 35 percent of VC chairman positions are held concurrently by the village Party secretary.

The MOCA report notes three external factors that interfered with the quality of the 2005-2007 elections: 1) family and clan influence, 2) a lack of voter enthusiasm, and 3) corruption and "illegal competitive electioneering behavior" on the part of candidates.