China Reform Monitor: No. 791

October 26:

Huang Yao, chairman of the Guizhou Provincial People's Political Consultative Conference, has become the third provincial-level official brought down by the party watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, in the aftermath of last month's fourth plenum of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which focused on fighting corruption. Song Yong, vice-chairman of Liaoning’s provincial people's congress, and Li Tangtang, the vice-chairman of Ningxia were the others. Meanwhile, Yu Weiliang, the party chief of Longgang district in Shenzhen, was also sacked. In an unusual comment, Li Yuanchao, minister of the party's Central Organization Department, last week warned cadres to fight lustful temptations and to keep away from vulgar businesses. The South China Morning Post said the government was also using the anti-corruption campaign to weed out defiant officials ahead of a power reshuffle at the 18th Party Congress in 2012.

October 28:

Hong Kong’s Apple Daily reports that the German website of "berlintwitterwall.com" has been full of Chinese netizens' postings opposing China's “Great Fire Wall” network inspection. Since October 23rd the German website, which is was set up to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, has become Chinese netizens platform to demand the "fall" of the 'Great Fire Wall' software used by the Chinese government to censor internet websites and monitor communications.

October 29:

A startlingly critical report from China’s National Audit Office said China’s environmental protection policies were never executed and regional governments failed to stop polluters such as chemical and paper manufacturers from building new factories along rivers and lakes. Eleven of the 13 Chinese provinces in a river clean-up program misused 515 million yuan over seven years, the report found. Seven provinces had used 403 million yuan of special environmental funding for other purposes, four had created 112 million yuan in fake spending records to claim reimbursement, and all 13 provinces had also either misused or failed to collect 3.65 billion yuan in waste-water clean-up projects processing fees. Beijing is now reviewing the 91 billion yuan in state investment meant for the clean-up of the Liao, Hai and Huai rivers, and Tai, Chao and Dianchi lakes from 2001 to 2007. "The key issue here is the lack of transparency and outside supervision,” prominent environmentalist Wang Yongchen said in comments carried by the South China Morning Post. "Officials basically spend the money wherever they want, and nobody outside the system has the tools or means to review their spending. The government should invite environmental protection groups and NGOs into their water protection projects. Otherwise, there will be no outside forces to advise and monitor these projects.”

October 30:

Vivian Tan, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization's Beijing office, says the China’s death figures of influenza H1N1 have been underestimated but that the estimate is only a prediction based on an increase of flu cases worldwide, and not proof that China is covering up flu deaths. In comments carried by Hong Kong’s Wen Wei Po, Bi Shengli, deputy director of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, dismissed the WHO’s suggestion and stressed the “transparent political system in China.”

Exploration of Oil in Kenya’s Isiolo District might not go as expected, following protests by the local population. Residents marched to the work site accusing the government and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation of not involving them. The government was informed of the protests in advance. A civil rights activist on site, Daudi Tari, told Kenya’s The Nation newspaper: "When the Chinese company come [sic] to our land to look for oil, they did not involve us in the process and our people have to be paid well for the environmental degradation caused by digging. "