China Reform Monitor: No. 960

March 30:

Pyongyang did not inform Beijing of its missile launch before it became public on February 16, prompting Chinese officials to summon the DPRK ambassador to a late night meeting. Despite Chinese efforts, high-level communication channels between China and North Korea have been on hold since the death of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, South Korea’s Chosan Ilbo reports. With the exception of Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying, who visited Pyongyang between February 20 and 25, no other high-ranking Chinese official has visited the DPRK since Kim’s death on December 17.

March 31:

China will invest $50 million over the next two years to build a high-tech park in Jizzax, Uzbekistan. Joint Chinese-Uzbek projects in the park will be financed through a loan from the China Development Bank (CDB). This year the facilities for 15 joint ventures with Chinese companies will be built to make electronic, construction, agricultural and machinery products. Production will begin next year, Russia’s Regnum news agency reports.

April 1:

For the first time internet censors have disabled the comment function and conducted an extensive “information cleanup” of China’s two biggest microblog sites, Sina’s Weibo and Tencent’s qq. For at least 48 hours 700 million users were prevented from commenting on microblog posts after rumors ran rife about a military coup in Beijing in the aftermath of the sacking of the former Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai. Authorities also shut 16 websites and detained six people for circulating coup rumors. Days after Bo was sacked, postings appeared claiming there were tanks in Beijing’s streets, gunshots, and plans to stage a coup. Zhou Yongkang – China’s security chief and said to be the only one of the nine member Politburo Standing Committee who opposed Bo’s ouster – was identified as the coup leader. But authorities dismissed the claims and blamed “lawless people” for fabricating them. In accordance with new regulations, 1,065 people have been arrested for posting “harmful information” online since mid-February,the South China Morning Post reports.

China has announced the establishment of a research center on the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal (1946-1948), the international military court established to try Japanese war criminals after the Second World War. The National Library of China and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have signed an agreement to set up the center, which will combine the library’s archives and the university’s research in history, laws and international relations, the official China Radio International reports.

April 2:

Depending on estimates, between 15,000 and 5,300 Hong Kong residents have rallied in front of China’s liaison office in Hong Kong accusing Beijing of interference in the election of Hong Kong’s new chief executive C.Y. Leung. As they marched to the liaison office the crowds waved banners and chanted “one man, one vote,” and “Leung step down.” The protesters held up a huge black banner with the Chinese character “mourning” to highlight what they called “the death of democracy,” the South China Morning Postreports. Near the entrance of the compound scuffles broke out between marchers and about 200 police, who used pepper spray on several protesters including Legislator Leung Kwok-hung when they tried to push through barricades. There were no arrests.