InfoAnda - Wang Yang: reformist credentials tested by Chinese system |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

BT denies new Internet offer to create 2-tier Web | 4 January 2011
Lil Wayne album still due February 2, label insists | | 8 January 2010
Obama tells Iran door to diplomacy still open | 24 September 2010

Japan seeks good China ties | 1 October 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Wang Yang: reformist credentials tested by Chinese system |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Aerospace & Defense Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Campaign Polling Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus David Cay Johnston Bethany McLean Anatole Kaletsky Reihan Salam Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Jack & Suzy Welch Frederick Kempe Christopher Papagianis Mark Leonard Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) Full Focus Editor's choice Our best photos from the last 24 hours. Full Article Images of August Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Foxconn China plant closed after 2,000 riot 4:13pm EDT Toyota drops plan for widespread sales of electric car 6:09am EDT In New York, defiant Ahmadinejad says Israel will be "eliminated" 4:35pm EDT Iran could launch pre-emptive Israel strike-commander 23 Sep 2012 Analysis: For Romney, some troubling signs among older voters 1:36am EDT Discussed 276 New video shows Romney saying Palestinians don’t want peace 112 Egypt Salafi urges U.N. to criminalize contempt of Islam 94 Romney paid $1.9 million in taxes in 2011: campaign Sponsored Links Pictures Reuters Photojournalism Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption Communism school A look inside China's Communist leadership academy. Slideshow Disputed islands Protests break out over disputed islands in the East China Sea. Slideshow Wang Yang: reformist credentials tested by Chinese system Tweet Share this Email Print Related News China closes in on Bo Xilai after jailing ex-police chief 6:21am EDT UPDATE 4-China closes in on Bo Xilai after jailing ex-police chief 1:34am EDT Chinese democracy experiment marked by protest a year on Fri, Sep 21 2012 China's Xi says Japan's purchase of disputed isles a farce Wed, Sep 19 2012 China implicates Bo Xilai in criminal case Wed, Sep 19 2012 Analysis & Opinion Murders in the forest Related Topics World » China » Wang Yang, Party Secretary of the Guangdong Province, claps during the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing March 3, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Jason Lee By Sui-Lee Wee and James Pomfret GUANGZHOU, China | Mon Sep 24, 2012 5:31pm EDT GUANGZHOU, China (Reuters) - Wang Yang, Communist Party chief of China's southern Guangdong province and seen by many in the West as a beacon of political reform, encouraged journalists earlier this year to expose the problem of pirated goods - part of his "Three Strikes" campaign against those hawking fake products. But several reporters who heeded his call were sacked. Others had their stories killed. The pattern, a familiar one in Guangdong, is a reminder of the limits of reform in China. A close look at Wang's record - he's a serious contender for promotion to the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee - illustrates the dilemma facing reformist leaders inside China's political system. Wang, 57, began with a genuine zeal for reform in China's richest and most liberal province. Concerned that society had not kept up with three decades of blistering economic change, he lobbied for social and political reform, but this has made him vulnerable to a conservative backlash, and pushed him back to a more familiar method of control and punishment. "People say he'll be the new Wen Jiabao in the new Party leadership," said Jianwei Wang, professor of political science at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, referencing the current premier, whose calls for substantive political reforms have largely been ignored. "(But) you have to remember Wang is a Chinese Communist Party official. He's not a Western liberal." Wang earned praise for his deft handling of a potentially violent land dispute in the coastal village of Wukan last year, but interviews with current and former journalists and labor rights activists in Guangdong show many feel he has presided over a harsh crackdown on parts of society the Communist Party typically sees as a direct challenge to its rule. Ultimately, observers say Wang's experience underscores the difficulties of any Mikhail Gorbachev-like figure breaking free of the confines of China's rigid political structure. "In this country and in this regime, there are no real reformers," a former editor of the Southern Metropolitan Daily newspaper said. "Everything is just for show." HUMBLE ROOTS Born into a poor rural family in eastern Anhui province, Wang dropped out of high school to help support his family after his father died, going to work in a food factory aged 17; experiences likely to have shaped his desire for more socially inclusive policies, including a push to engender a "Happy Guangdong" model of development to improve peoples' lives. As with Wen, Wang's humble upbringing contrasts with the so-called "princelings" or privileged offspring of former Chinese Communist leaders or military top brass, including ousted party heavyweight Bo Xilai and leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping. "That's very important," said Cheng Li, an expert on Chinese politics at the Brookings Institution think-tank in Washington. "This is the difference between Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, in terms of background." In 1979, Wang studied political economy at the Central Party School, according to a biography of him by Hong Kong's Mirror Books published in 2009. From there, his rise was swift. In 1982, he was named propaganda chief of the Communist Youth League, President Hu Jintao's power base, in Anhui. When Wen became premier, he appointed Wang as deputy secretary general of the State Council, China's cabinet. In 2005, Wang was appointed party chief of the southwestern municipality of Chongqing, and, two years later, of Guangdong, China's most populous province with a population of 104 million. During his term, Wang held regular sessions with a group of scholars to discuss reform, said Xiao Bin, a professor of government at Guangzhou's Sun Yat-sen University, who attended two sessions. Wang made Guangdong cadres set aside a day just to read books such as Thomas Friedman's take on globalization, "The World Is Flat", Xiao said. CHANGING THE BIRDS Politically, Wang - whose graying hair and straight-talking manner stand him apart from the many apparatchiks who dye their hair black to appear young - succeeded in reducing the number of government departments in some areas, but stumbled in his push for the direct election of officials in Shenzhen and a more independent judiciary. Xiao said Beijing was not enthusiastic about the political reforms. "Up to now, Wang Yang hasn't been able to achieve anything," said Hao Wenyuan, a former Guangdong official. "Nobody can break through the entrenched interests." While Guangdong's economy has doubled under Wang - gross domestic product of 5.3 trillion yuan ($840 billion) matches that of Indonesia - not all his economic reforms have been successful. The province's growth slowed to 7.4 percent in January-June, one of its weakest periods in a decade. Known in Chinese as "cleaning the birdcage to change the birds", Wang sought to replace Guangdong's low-end factories with high-tech industries. But, amid a spawning of projects and policies to accommodate his vision in factory towns across the Pearl River Delta, places like the Changping Innovation and Technology Center in the gritty manufacturing hub of Dongguan remain half empty nearly four years after opening. "I think the direction was good but instead of driving all those labor intensive factories out in a short period, they should have made some longer-term planning by giving better incentives to high-technology people," said a foreign businessman running a factory in Changping. Wang's strength is his ability to appear open to the people of Guangdong, which absorbs its liberal ethos from neighboring Hong Kong, the freewheeling former British colony, said rights activist Guo Feixiong, who was jailed for five years in 2007 on charges of illegal business activities. "The fact he didn't arrest anyone involved in Wukan and allowed elections demonstrate that he's enlightened," said Guo. "I suspect people like Wang Yang are reformers in the sense that they believe the system as it stands now is not sustainable and needs urgent change, but ... those changes come in terms of making sure the economic system reduces inequality and provides more Chinese a chance to take a piece of the economic pie," said Rana Mitter, a Chinese politics professor at Oxford University. MEDIA, LABOUR CRACKDOWN Two current and former journalists at the Nanfang Group, which owns some of China's boldest publications, said they received "clear instructions" and "requirements" that reporters should not write articles that would "hinder Wang Yang's prospects". These include stories on Guangdong's social ills such as explosions, piracy and "mass incidents" - a euphemism for street protests - according to the journalists, though they say none of these instructions were formally delivered by Wang himself. One recent story journalists were barred from writing was on a Guangzhou-based official who had abused a flight attendant, according to several people familiar with the matter. "He (Wang) instituted some reforms, but ... (these) are possibly just to meet his needs and are not for the good of everyone," said a former Southern Metropolitan columnist. Three journalists from different publications say Wang did allow the Guangdong media to write critical reports - up to a point. "... but resistance was very large," said one former Southern Weekly columnist. "After he announced that the Guangdong media can criticize Guangdong, it was less than a month before he took it back. The internal negative repercussions were too much." Viewed warily by conservatives, Wang was made a scapegoat in a campaign by hardliners against the Nanfang Group, which had embarrassed some officials with critical stories on the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, the former columnist said. The hardliners attacked the publishing house, and Wang, calling them "traitors, anti-party and anti-China" on the Internet. DRAWING A LINE This year's clampdown on labor groups has raised questions about how sincere Wang is on social reform. A line appears to have been drawn between tolerating workers' specific demands and organized dissent by labor groups. Last year, Guangdong issued groundbreaking rules making it easier for NGOs to register with the civil affairs authorities without the backing of a government agency. Within a year, though, eight NGOs that fight for the rights of migrant workers in Shenzhen were forced out of their premises. As provincial chief, Wang bears responsibility for the crackdown, said Zhang Zhiru, director of the Shenzhen Spring Breeze Labour Disputes Service Centre. Chinese labour rights groups are often harassed by the government, which fears they could organize strikes and trigger social unrest. Interviews with six labour activists show that this time, the scale of the crackdown is unprecedented. In February, Zhang's landlord told him he was under pressure from the authorities to evict his group. 'How can you rent your place to someone who wants to go against the government?', the landlord was told, according to Zhang. Previous Guangdong party boss Zhang Dejiang had told Shenzhen leaders to encourage the development of labour rights groups, which discussed cooperation with the official union. All that stopped when Wang arrived. "It can be said that after Wang Yang came, the situation really deteriorated," said Zhang, the labour activist. "In my mind, Wang Yang is neither a reformer nor is he a liberal." ($1 = 6.3093 Chinese yuan) (Additional reporting by Hui Li, Chris Buckley, Ben Blanchard and Michael Martina; Editing by Ian Geoghegan) World China Related Quotes and News Company Price Related News Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Libyan government puts army in charge of Benghazi militias |
Court paves way for UK-based cleric's extradition to U.S. |
Yemeni intelligence official shot dead in Sanaa |
Nigeria military says kills 35 Boko Haram Islamists |
Mexico's Ferrari urges U.S. not to tear up tomato pact |
Pakistan's top court struggles to deliver justice |
Wang Yang: reformist credentials tested by Chinese system |
G20 aides say central banks' fix not enough
U.S. clears path for more sanctions on Iran oil deals |
Google shares hit record high, find favor on Street |
Toys R Us sued over kids tablet trade secrets |
Schwarzenegger memoir includes failures over love child |
Mandy Patinkin thrilled to be part of Emmy winner Homeland |
ABC draws more viewers to Emmy awards broadcast |
Bollywood's Aishwarya Rai Bachchan named U.N. HIV/AIDS envoy |
UK leader Cameron to appear on David Letterman |
Iran to boycott 2013 Oscar over anti-Islamic film: minister |
China carrier a show of force as Japan tension festers |
Clinton reassures Egypt's Mursi on U.S. assistance |
Bombs blow up at security site in Damascus: rebels |
Syrian mortar bombs land in Israeli orchard |
Colombian peace deal would not end all violence: report |
Italy's Sardinia struggles to leave state aid behind |
Japan PM may tap senior politician Okada as finance minister: media |
Kuwait cordons off court ahead of pivotal electoral law ruling |
Clinton offers more U.S. help as Libya battles militias |
Google says Maps not waiting in wings for iPhone 5 |
China factory unrest a fresh headache for Foxconn |
Nokia unveils two new mid-range cellphones |
Google starts Nexus 7 tablet, content sales in Japan |
Olympus, former executives plead guilty in fraud trial |
Malaysia court puts Lynas rare earths license on hold: activists |
Kiddie tablets and other tech toys top Toy Insider gift list |
French government asks Facebook to explain data glitch |
White House said to plan executive order on cybersecurity |
Chris Brown tests positive for marijuana while on probation |
Obama offers himself up as eye candy on The View |
Gangnam Style hit doubles value of Psy's father's stock |
Actress Bonnie Franklin diagnosed with pancreatic cancer |
U.S. will 'do what we must' on Iran, Ban Ki-moon opposes threats |
Syrian children speak of beatings, burnings, electric shocks |
Exclusive: Clinton presses Rwanda, DRC leaders on border crisis |
Yemenis paint disappeared activists on Sanaa streets |
Hundreds of Syrian refugees riot in Jordanian camp |
Door for Israeli-Palestinian peace may be closing: U.N. |
Analysis: Clock ticking on French fracking veto |
Attack on military vehicle kills 7 soldiers in east Turkey |
Barnes & Noble to launch video service for Nook |
RIM says carriers impressed with its new BB10 devices |
Former principal sues Pantheon Ventures for discrimination |
U.S. tech firm ServiceSource to expand in Britain |
Sharp to win bank nod for $2.7 billion bailout as early as Thursday: source |
Teliasonera to start Yoigo sale soon -sources |
RIM faced with another brutal quarter; focus on cash pile |
Psy vows topless show if Gangnam-style reaches No. 1 |
Actress Helen Mirren to receive European film award |
Milan fashion opts for light, timeless and wearable |
World Chefs: Pham follows instinct on forage, career |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01