In Brief

1. Liu Xiaobo wins Nobel Peace Prize: Struggles and Debates Going On
2. Calls for Freedom of Speech by Party Elders and the Case of Zhao Lianhai
3. Tianjin Climate Change Conference: Stronger Voices from Chinese Civil Society
4. China and Rare Earth: Western Complaints
5. New Publications on Labour Rights and Trade
6. China Going Nuclear: Analysis of China's Nuclear Energy Programme

Despite Chinese Government's effort to stop the Nobel Committee from awarding Liu, on 8th October, the Nobel Committee awarded Liu the Prize "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China". Videos of the announcement of the award and the following interview of Geir Lundestad, Secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee could be found here. In the official website of Nobel Prize, many Chinese and quite a number of them signed with cities indicating that they are from Mainland China, wrote in both English and Chinese to support the decision of the Nobel Committee's decision and greetings to Liu.

The Chinese Government was angered by the Nobel Committee's decision and protested by cancelling two meetings with the Norwegian Fisheriers and Coastal Affairs, the PRC's Ministry  Foreign Affairs also said the award would damage China-Norway relations. The official responses of the Chinese Government could be found here. Supporters of in Beijing were banned to celebrate and Liu Xia, wife of Liu Xiaobo remains in house-arrest.

On 28th October, an engineer, Guo Xianliang, was detained and charged with inciting subversion of state power. Guo was reportedly distributing fliers about Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo.

Among the Chinese and China observers, there are also different evaluations of Liu's achievement.  Here you can find debates about Liu and why they think he deserves (or not) the Nobel Prize.

In the previous months, the EU-China Civil Society Forum has published a backgrounder contributed by Tienchi Martin-Liao, President of the Independent Chinese PEN Center, to explain Liu's significance and therefore, the heavy-sentence he is receiving. Another article,

Another article by Au Loong Yu of Globalization Monitor, expresses its sympathy for Liu’s fate, criticizes Charter 08, which Liu drafted and was the main cause of his arrest, failing to address the majority, i.e. working class’ interest.

23 Chinese Communist Party elders known for their pro-reform positions, including Mao Zedong’s former secretary Li Rui and former People’s Daily editor-in-chief Hu Jiwei, submitted an open letter to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, formally China’s highest state body, calling for an end to restrictions on expression in China.

Zhao Lianhai, known as “Father of the Kidney Stone Babies” in Chinese, was sentenced to two and a half year imprisonment in late October, for “disturbing social order”. See more “Injuring the Injured: The Case of Zhao Lianhai” from the Duihua Human Rights Journal.Zhou was formerly a staff of the Food Safety Authority in Beijing, and became an activist after his son was found poisoned in the 2008 milk scandal. Unlike Liu Xiaobo, Zhao is more considered as an ordinary citizen to defend the victims’ rights, a much politically-sensitive case by nature.

Since the trial, lawyers of Zhao were not able to see him, as the prison claimed that Zhao didn't want to see them. On 22 Nov, they recevied a letter "signed" by Zhao, dismissing them. There is a growing concern, if the letter represents Zhao's will. Human rights groups have written to Beijing Public Security, to protest against its pressure on Zhao and his family.

The UN Climate Change Conference was held in Tianjin between 4 and 9 October. 52 Chinese NGOs and international NGOs working in China jointly published a position paper, on one hand, acknowledging China’s effort, and on the other hand, calling for more implementations, especially on transparency of emissions data, and closer cooperation with the civil society in combating climate change.

The academics, also sent an open letter to Todd Stern, US speical envoy on climate change, criticizing the USA for not commiting enough in emssion cuts, while requesting China for binding cuts.

The chief Chinese official negotiator on international conferences of climate change has made a positive comment on the NGOs’ participation at the Tianjin Conference, calling them “NGOs perform like a bridge connecting ordinary people and the government for that goal” and expressed willingness to communicate with the civil society in the future.

Lu Sicheng, the coordinator of “Green China, Race to the Future”, a series events organised by Chinese NGOs at the UN-led climate talks in Tianjin, sponsored by Global Climate Change Alliance, said in an interview with China Dialogue, that the Tianjin Conference is a historic milestone for the Chinese NGOs.

On 19^th October, China, the biggest rare earth producer of the world (up to 97%) announced it would reduce its rare earth export. But at the same time "rare earth" are not rare, because China only helds 37% of the world deposits.

The coming two articles are to discuss the reasons behind and implications of China's move. It becomes also clear thar rare earth are not rare. 

• Strategic Implications of China’s Consolidation of Rare Earth Industries

• An Economic Assessment of China’s Rare Earth Policy

The following article is on Chinese embargo's impact on EU, as many high-tech products the Europeans enjoy nowadays are produced, partly, by the rare materials from China. It also suggests that EU should develop a rare-earths diplomacy, as well as look into ways of recycling these precious materials.

• Europe, China and the quest for rare earths

• China U.S. Dispute over Raw Materials. Rare Earthes are Key

• Beijing Wages Economic Diplomacy to Counter "China Threat" Theory

• Elements of a Sustainable Trade Strategy for China

• Workers as Machines: Military Management in Foxconn