China Reform Monitor: No. 794

November 18:

China and Vietnam signed a package of agreements on the demarcation of their 1300 kilometer land boundary and reiterated that they will try to solve their sea disputes through diplomacy. Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei and his Vietnamese counterpart Ho Xuan Son inked the agreements, with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in attendance. They include a protocol on demarcation of the land boundary and an agreement on border management and administration. Beijing and Hanoi also agreed to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, the official People’s Daily reports.

Ming Pao reports that of China’s 123 million internet users only about 7000 in 200 cities, mainly in Beijing and Shanghai, succeeded in breaking the ‘Great Fire Wall’ and gaining access to the White House website to view the online broadcast of Obama's town hall meeting with Shanghai youths on November 16th.

November 19:

The Investigations Committee of the Russian Federation prosecutor's office will investigate threats against its head, Aleksandr Bastrykin, by the former owner of Cherkizovskiy market. The market was closed down on June 29th leading to the arrest and deportation of hundreds of Chinese and the confiscation of than 6000 containers holding an estimated $2 billion worth of pirated and smuggled goods. Moscow is currently pursuing several major criminal cases regarding smuggled Chinese goods at the market, the Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy reports.

November 20:

According to Xinjiang Ribao since November 4th three investigation/study groups have visited Xinjiang “to conduct in-depth investigations and studies on the thinking for promoting lasting peace and stability in Xinjiang.” The first, the “propaganda, ideological, cultural, and educational group,” is led by Liu Yunshan, director of the Central Propaganda Department; the second, “the economic and social development group,” is headed by Ma Kai, State Council secretary general; and the third, “the ethnic and religious affairs group/social stability group,” is under Du Qinglin, vice-chairman of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Several hundred participants came from all relevant state ministries and dozens were cadres at or above the vice-minister level. The scale of the exercise is unprecedented as is the scope, which “covers all aspects of reform, development, and stability in Xinjiang,” the Zhongguo Tongxun She reports. The groups will be considering economic development, improving interagency coordination, education, ethnic and religious affairs, party building, safeguarding stability, and diplomacy involving Xinjiang among others. After dividing into small groups, the cadres met with local governments, schools, enterprises, neighborhoods and communities in 15 prefectures and cities throughout Xinjiang.

According to Ming Pao, U.S. President Barak Obama gave a letter to the Nanfang Zhoumo after their exclusive interview but the paper did not publish the letter. Obama’s letter reportedly recognized the newspaper’s contribution to political analysis and highlighted the importance of free media to increasing knowledge.

November 21:

On July 15th at a session of the Senate External Relations Committee, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scot Marciel stressed Washington’s neutrality in the dispute between China and 10 Southeast Asian nations: "U.S. policy continues to be that we do not take sides on the competing legal claims over territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea. In other words, we do not take sides on the claims to sovereignty over the islands and other land features in the South China Sea, or the maritime zones (such as territorial seas) that derive from those land features."