Chinese Law and Politics Blog

The Anger Boils Over

For the past two months, local officials in the southwestern Chinese province of Guangxi have pursued a harsh campaign aimed at enforcing China's population planning laws.

In order to meet targets for allowable births, they forced pregnant women to have abortions. They threatened to demolish homes to make residents cough up fines demanded for excess children.

This month citizen anger boiled over. Thousands of angry rural residents took to the streets, smashing cars and sacking government offices.

The vicious nature of the Guangxi enforcement campaign is all the more striking because it directly conflicts with the orders of China's top leaders.

[click here for the full version of the May 29, 2007 International Herald Tribune editorial]

[click here for Sing Tao's May 30 Chinese translation of the IHT editorial]

Experts and Politicians Discuss Sino-US Relations

The political season is approaching, both in the United States and China. American politicians are scrambling to position themselves on the issues in the run-up to the 2008 presidential elections. For their part, Chinese Party officials are consumed by preparations for the impending 17th Party Congress this fall, and the corresponding redistribution of positions among the Party elite.

Numerous experts, politicians, and think tanks have taken advantage of the political season to convene conferences, deliver speeches, and issue policy papers on the subject of Sino-US relations. Included below are links to just some of the major, recent ones.

Ministry of Civil Affairs Releases New Statistics for 2006

The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs (MOCA) released new comprehensive statistics for 2006, including the numbers of civil society organizations, villager and residents committees, and recipients of welfare programs in a May 23 post on their website. 

The official numbers show a steady increase in the numbers of registered Chinese civil society organizations, including 192,000 social organizations (SOs), 161,000 non-governmental, non-commercial enterprises (NGNCE's), and 1144 foundations. (These numbers differ slightly from those released in January.) 

They also reveal an interesting decline in the total numbers of villager committees and residents committees over the past ten years, and a plateau over the past four years in the number of urban residents who are receiving welfare assistance. 

Position: Fellow at China Law Center, Yale Law School

The China Law Center at Yale Law School is seeking applications from legal professionals for an open position of Fellow in the Center’s New Haven office. This position requires working with senior Center staff to carry out and develop collaborative projects involving U.S., Chinese, and other legal experts on topics relevant to Chinese law and policy reform. Fellows conduct research and writing related to project activities, organize project events, 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.

Has Citizen Activism Led to Increased Numbers of Chinese Court Cases?

Actually, no. There have been several references recently to the "skyrocketing" or "rapidly increasing" caseload of Chinese courts as a result of increased citizen legal activism. But the numbers just don't support this.

True, the annual work reports of the Supreme People's Court over the last ten years do seem to reveal a substantial increase in the total number of Chinese court "cases" since the mid-1990s. But careful analysis of the numbers reveals that this is actually an artifact of what judicial authorities are counting as a "case." Numbers of civil cases (citizens suing each other) and administrative cases (citizens suing the state) have remained relatively stable, or even declined, compared to levels reached in the 1990s.

Position: Research Fellow at NYU US-Asia Law Institute

NYU Law School's U.S.-Asia Law Institute is seeking a Research Fellow to work in New York City. The Research Fellow will support the Institute's projects by conducting research and writing on issues related to legal reform in China; by providing administrative and logistical support to projects; and by communicating with scholars, officials, and lawyers.