Chinese Law and Politics Blog

Position: Program Officer for Law Programs, Yale-China Association

The Yale-China Association, a non-profit organization that promotes U.S.-China educational exchange, seeks candidates for the position of program officer for law programs to be based either at its headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut, or its China office in Hong Kong.

For more information, see the announcement on the website of the Yale-China Association.

[Language taken from the announcement - see the Yale-China Association website for the full version]

Chinese Authorities Amend Draft Law’s Ban on Media Reporting of "Sudden Incidents"

Chinese authorities have amended the ban on media reporting of "sudden incidents" in the draft "Law on Responding to Sudden Incidents" currently under consideration by the National People’s Congress for the second time. The first version of the proposed law had incited significant public and media criticism in 2006 for its ban on media outlets "independently issuing information" related to "sudden incidents,"such as natural disasters, public health emergencies, and social unrest. 

The new draft law removes the ban on "independently issuing information" regarding sudden incidents, and replaces it with a ban on the dissemination of "false information" regarding sudden incidents, according to a June 24 Xinhua article. This may reflect an effort by Chinese officials to respond to public opposition regarding the original draft language, and some recognition of the positive role that independent media reporting can play in exposing severe governance abuses by local officials. But it also reflects the desire of Chinese central officials to maintain checks over media reporting on sensitive public issues.

Position: Program Officer, CLD Consultants (Beijing)

中律原咨询(北京)有限公司, (English name: CLD Consultants (Beijing)), is a small Chinese firm that was founded specifically to support social development projects and international cooperation programs in China. 中律原provides consulting services and technical assistance to Chinese organizations, foreign companies, international donors and foreign non-profit organizations. The Company’s consulting services and projects focus on the areas of: legal system development, legal reform, public interest, women’s issues, governance, education reform, and capacity-building of non-governmental organizations. Since 2003, 中律原has had a six-person office in Beijing.

The Company is seeking applications from Chinese nationals for one of its Program Officer (项目官员) positions. This position is based in Beijing. A detailed description of the Program Officer position is provided below.

After Iraq War, Resist the Isolationist Impulse

[This isn't a China-related post, but I'll put it on the blog nonetheless]

No matter how the war ends, the United States must stay engaged in the world.   

New York - Sometime, somehow, the Iraq war will end. The surge may stabilize the country sufficiently to allow the withdrawal of American troops (less likely). Or the American public may simply sicken of the war to such an extent that US forces are pulled out regardless of the consequences after the 2008 presidential election (more likely). Either way, the end of the war will be the starting bell for a much more sweeping battle over the future of American foreign policy.

The question? Quite simply, What role should the United States play in the world?

[The full version of the op-ed appears in the June 19 edition of the Christian Science Monitor]

Position: Program Officer for Asia, IRI

The International Republican Institute (IRI) seeks a Program Officer for their Asia regional programs, to be based in Washington, DC.

Hukou Reforms Under Consideration

Chinese authorities are considering reforms to the Chinese hukou (household registration) system. Proposed reforms would strengthen the system of temporary residence permits, expand the ability of the spouses and elderly parents of urban residents to relocate to China’s cities, and use the criteria of a "fixed, legal place of residence" as the touchstone for determining whether rural migrants can shift their hukou to urban areas.

Chinese scholars and officials note that the above reforms are merely under consideration. They also note that these reforms would not themselves address the pervasive linkage of hukou registration to a wide range of social and economic benefits, nor the resulting systematic discrimination against rural residents and migrants. But the proposed criteria for migrants to obtain hukou in urban areas do appear to be a mild liberalization over prior formulations used by Chinese authorities in the past.

Position: Senior Program Manager for Asia, NDI

The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) seeks a Senior Program Manager in its Washington DC office to support the Regional Director in supervising the Asia team.