Anti-Corruption Warning

The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has warned all CPC members that "the phenomenon of corruption is still quite serious."

Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over a Politburo meeting on December 26, which pledged to continue the major task of fighting corruption and achieving clean governance, according to a statement from the CPC.

At the meeting, the participants heard a report on the work of the CPC Central Committee for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) in 2006 and studied anti-corruption work proposed for 2007.

The Politburo urged the whole Party to remain unified in thinking and have a deep understanding of the long-term, complicated and difficult nature of the efforts to bring about clean governance and fight corruption.

Medical Costs Top Social Concern

Soaring medical costs are the most notable social problem in China, according to a social blue book issued December 25. This was the first time that concerns over medical and health care had exceeded other worries in similar surveys, researchers said.

According to the blue book, medical expenses had risen to 11.8 percent of household consumption in China, surpassing expenditure on education and transportation.

Unemployment was the second major concern, followed by the wealth gap, corruption, pensions, educational charges, housing prices, public security, social values, and pollution, according to the blue book.

The blue book was based on a survey by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, conducted from March to July 2006. The survey covered 7,140 households in 28 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

Tightening up Weather Services

China is to strengthen supervision and punishment on the illegal acquisition of meteorological information by foreigners, as regulations for foreign-related meteorological observation and data management take effect next year.

Meteorological data plays an important role in the national economy, social development and daily life. It also plays an equally important role in national defense and military activities.

China Meteorological Administration (CMA) statistics show that there have been about 20 breaches by foreign individuals or institutes in China since 2000.

The measures, as a complement to the Meteorology Law, make clear the conditions and procedures for foreign meteorology-related activities in China.

With the growth of international exchanges on metrological information and rapid development of commercial services, more and more foreigners and organizations are coming to China for meteorological data collection and processing.

Environmental Head Slams Local Officials

The country's top environmental official has criticized grassroots authorities for gross violations that have led to rampant environmental degradation.

"In some places, officials still focus on economic growth and neglect environmental protection," said Zhou Shengxian, head of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), in a report to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the top legislature.

Pollution has become one of the most serious concerns in China and the government has invested billions of yuan to improve the situation, but to no avail.

Some local governments drag their feet on technology upgrading and keep approving heavily polluting projects, he said. He also noted that some local leaders directly interfered in environmental enforcement by threatening to remove, demote or retaliate against environmental officials.