Chinese Media Digest – Tuesday, January, 22

Source:Globaltimes.cn Published: 2013-1-22 18:44:26

Keywords: Obama second-term faces even greater China-US challenges; Media cries nepotism after young mayor deemed underqualified

Obama second-term faces even greater China-US challenges

As US President Barack Obama was inaugurated for his second term on January 21, Chinese media offered swift analysis of its future impact on Sino-US relations, singling out the economy as a key issue that needs to be addressed over the next four years.

"If Obama wants to do something during his second term, he should act to boost the domestic economy," commented the People's Daily.

"The fate of the US depends on whether it can unite together, improve policy execution and strengthen coordination between the two parties," read the article.

The Global Times ran an opinion piece saying that while China has learnt a lot from the US since the reform and opening-up, China must be more decisive and be wary of prolonged social debate.

"China must take a lesson from the US financial crisis that debates cannot be endless and must have the power to make decisions and carry them out," adding that "contradictions within US society have gradually caused the system to become more rigid in response to the discontent that Americans can fully express."

The future of China-US relations will be focused on whether the two countries can cooperate in strategic security, commentator Zheng Hao said during an ifeng TV interview.

Zheng also suggested both countries be objective and rational in dealing with each other instead of suspicious or even hostile.

Without the pressure of running a re-election campaign, the Obama administration will increase its efforts in domestic and diplomatic affairs, according to the Beijing News.

"China may experience more political conflict with the US as China's economy continues to increase," said the opinion piece, adding "security in the region may see further complications as the US will reconsider its Asia-Pacific strategy."

Media cries nepotism after young mayor deemed underqualified

The opaque system of appointing officials in China was lambasted by media on January 21 following reports of a newly-appointed deputy mayor in Donggang, Liaoning province, who beat other candidates despite scoring relatively low on the civil service exam.

It was later reported and confirmed that the newly-appointed deputy mayor Dong Haitao, 31, came from a politically well-connected family.

Suspicions of nepotism first arose after it was revealed Dong had the lowest civil service test score among all candidates for the job, according to a list published by the Donggang government. Media reports later confirmed that the uncle of Dong's husband is currently serving as a provincial-level official.

Chinese media blamed the source of public doubt squarely on a distrust of the government and the selection process of officials, and called for increased transparency and public participation.

Chinese Business View pointed out the only solution is to make details of the selection process public knowledge.

"Officials should be accustomed to dealing with a skeptical public and providing sincere explanations," said the article.

The purpose of "breaking away from the old selection rules" is to promote candidates who show extraordinary talent in certain fields rather than "giving up all rules," according to the Beijing News.

"The public remains doubtful because they are unclear about how officials are selected, which raises suspicions as to whether Dong is qualified for her position,"the paper analyzed.

"Questions and doubts should be rational and respect the facts,"commented the People's Daily.

"Young officials questioning is not a bad thing because it can push them to work harder and succeed in the long run,"said the paper.

@雅韵昕声: Officials should be promoted according to their ability rather than their age. The country should promote more young officials, otherwise society doesn't progress.

@打扰先生: People always complain that China is not open and free enough because the officials were all born in the 1960s, but then starts questioning officials born in the 1980s because they are too young. Ceaseless doubt and negativity doesn't bring anything positive to society. 

@周泽律师: Almost nobody believes that the deputy mayor was elected only because she's the most qualified but because she has a relative that is a provincial-level official. This appointing system should be changed.

@小白白abc123: Can't ordinary people get involved in the appointing of officials? The current way lacks transparency.

 



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