MIGRANT WORKER TAKES ON NEW ROLE

Ju Xiaolin， a rail technician holding a senior high school diploma， was elected vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions （ACFTU） on January 17.

Ju， 53， is the first migrant worker to hold such a high post， which reflects the ACFTUs push to better represent the interests of ordinary workers. Ju said after his election that he was “very surprised” and “honored.” “I will continue to help protect the interests and rights of migrant workers，” he said at the ACFTU headquarters in Beijing.

Ju， who will serve his new post on a part-time basis， works with the China CREC Railway Electrification Bureau Group. A native of Qishan County， northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province， he has been involved in the construction of a number of conventional and high-speed railways.

A New Oil Pricing System

Beijing Times January 13 A new pricing system setting the floor and ceiling prices for domestic refined oil products has been introduced. Under the new system， China will not cut its domestic retail fuel prices when international oil prices fall below $40 a barrel. Also， it will refrain from hiking domestic fuel prices when international oil prices rise above $130 per barrel.

The price “circuit breaker” mechanism is an answer to the wishes of giant oil producers including China National Petroleum Corp. and Sinopec， which believe that limits to prices are needed to ensure a fair domestic market. As a matter of fact， a too-high or too-low fuel price will jeopardize the stable running of Chinas state-owned oil providers. In addition， a fuel price that is too low may result in more consumption of oil products， which may have negative impacts on environmental protection and reforms to the energy structure.

Under current circumstances， allowing fluctuations within a fixed range is a feasible approach. Within the price range， the market has control over fuel pricing； outside the range， the government takes reigns over the pricing to ensure the nations energy security. But the government has pledged to reduce its intervention， leading to completely market-based oil pricing by the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan （2016-20）.

A Probe Into Telecom Fraud

China Newsweek January 18

Telecom fraud has become rampant in China in recent years. In provinces such as Hainan， Fujian， and Yunnan， there are whole villages or towns specializing in such criminal activities.

One of the tricks employed by fraudsters is to text messages simultaneously to tens of thousands of people saying that one of their family members or friends is suffering a serious disease and needs money for treatment. Those who fall for the message would then transfer money to the swindlers bank accounts.

In 2014 alone， a loss of 10.7 billion yuan（$1.6 billion） was suffered in cases of telecom fraud in China， while no more than 5 percent of the cases were cracked. Although China has enhanced investigation on telecom fraud since 2015， the crime is difficult to wipe out completely.

Greed and a lack of vigilance for fraud are the primary causes for victims being cheated. Light punishments for telecom fraud have also contributed to the spread of the crime. Moreover， as swindlers and victims are usually not in the same region， it requires collaboration between public security departments in different localities to gather evidence， thereby taking more time and money to solve a case.

Telecom operators have inescapable responsibilities in telecom fraud. As fraudsters often send a multitude of text messages using the same phone number， telecom operators are certainly aware of their illegal activities， but choose to turn a blind eye to them out of concern for their own economic benefits.

Anti-Graft Campaign Gains Public Support

Peoples Daily Overseas Edition January 13

Chinas ongoing anti-corruption drive， which began after the 18th Communist Party of China（CPC） National Congress in late 2012， has bolstered peoples confidence in the Party， said President Xi Jinping， who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee， at a plenary session of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on January 12.

Xis speech to members of the Partys top discipline watchdog shows that Chinas anti-graft campaign is effective and the mission and goals remain unchanged. The Party is confident about the fight against corruption. Though facing downward economic pressure and the doubt that anti-graft measures may jeopardize the economy， the CPC will not cease its cleansing. Creating a clean Party is part of the CPCs efforts to improve its governance capacity.

To manage the Party strictly， the anti-graft fight will be advanced from the following aspects： First， disciplinary and ethical rules including the Partys Constitution will be highlighted. Second， the Party will keep a close eye on its members professional and personal integrity. Third， efforts to combat corruption at home and pursue suspects that have fled overseas will be intensified in order to dissuade Party members from illicit practices. Fourth， every corner of the Party， especially its primary organizations， will be scrutinized. Fifth， any hidden rules will be eliminated through strong willpower and tenacity.

HONG KONG BOOKSELLER TURNS HIMSELF IN

Gui Minhai， a Hong Kong bookseller recently reported as missing， reappeared in mid-January， making a televised confession on a crime he committed on the mainland. Gui turned himself in to the police in October 2015. He fled the mainland more than 10 years ago while still in probation after being convicted of drunk driving.

“Turning myself in was a voluntary choice of my own，” said Gui， a Swedish national and owner of Causeway Bay Books in Hong Kong. “I need to take responsibility for it myself.”

Gui， 51， was sentenced to two years in prison with a two-year reprieve after he struck and killed a young woman in 2003 in Ningbo， east Chinas Zhejiang Province. He said he had lived with an increasing “sense of guilt and insecurity.”

“The deprecation of the yuan will not dampen the mainlands outbound tourism business in the short term. However， when it comes to the long term， its a different story.”

Zhang Lingyun， a professor at Beijing Union University， commenting on the forecast that Chinese tourists will make 133 million outbound trips in 2016， a rise of 11 percent over the previous year

“Chinese residents now enjoy the same level of health， on average， as people in medium- and high-income countries.”

Xiong Huang， an official with the National Health and Family Planning Commission， at a press conference on January 15

“Against the backdrop of the counter-corruption drive， which has brought about clean governance， foreign investors have more confidence in China.”

Liu Jianchao， head of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection， at a press conference on January 15

“The dollar is not going to automatically get stronger when the Fed [U.S. Federal Reserve] raises the [interest] rates， but depends on whether the Fed raises the rates more quickly or less quickly than the markets expect.”

Ben S. Bernanke， former Fed Chairman， telling the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong on January 19