Wellllll... fry... me... for... an... egg!
The draft amendment to China's Constitution was submitted to the on-going national legislature's annual session for deliberation Monday afternoon, which includes expressions on protection of private property and human rights. Wang Zhaoguo, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC), makes a report on the draft amendment to nearly 3,000 legislators attending the second session of the lawmaking body in the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing. Other major points of the draft amendment include establishment of the guiding role of the "Three Represents" important thought in national political and social life, expressions of coordinated development of material civilization and political and cultural progress, incorporation of the term "builders of the socialist cause," and improvement of the land requisition system. Also included are expressions on further clarification of the state policy toward non-public sectors, improvement of the social security system and the NPC's composition, stipulation on the state of emergency and on presidency, revision of the terms of government at township level, and stipulation on the national anthem. The term of private property protection, proposed by the ruling Communist Party of China, puts private assets of Chinese citizens on an equal footing with public property, and are "not to be encroached upon."
| Finally getting around to it, are they? |
The draft amendment suggests "legal private property is not to be encroached upon" and adds "the state should give compensation" to the current stipulation that "the state has the right to expropriate urban and rural land."
| Now they'll have to pay for it and get a deed, rather than just denouncing the owners and killing them... |
"It is a substantive breakthrough in the history of the People's Republic of China and that reminds me of the past old days when we were proud of being penniless and devoting all possessions to the country," said Xia Bing, a lawyer who serves a Shanghai-based private law house. In the first 30 years after New China was founded in 1949, the predominant agricultural country had been engaged in a continuous campaign to turn its war-shattered economy into what the top leaders hoped to be superior to the world powers. The drive was frequently pestered by uncertainties such as natural disasters and political movements such as the devastating "Cultural Revolution" (1966-1976). The people worked hard in cropland and factories year in year out, and their struggle did not bring in a fairly comfortable life featured by well furnished private houses and cars. "Being poor meant being revolutionary and clean in heart, and it was a shame to rake profits and dream of a luxurious life at that time," recalls 60-year-old Zhang Yuying, a factory retiree inthe northeastern province of Heilongjiang. "Khaki clothes, very often with a patch on the shoulder or knee or both, might be the most precious private belongings of most ordinary families."
| Ahhh, those were the days! Don'tcha miss 'em?... You don't? Can't imagine why not... |
Tremendous improvements in the people's daily life did not take place until the Chinese economy began to take off fueled by the reform and open-up policy adopted in the late 1970s. In 2003, China's per-capita GDP reached 1,000 US dollars, which is internationally accepted as a mark of a medium-developed country. Major cities such as Shanghai even reported a much bigger figure of more than 5,000 US dollars. With swelling wallets, an increasing number of Chinese citizens have purchased or are planning to buy houses and cars, both regarded as necessities of a modern life. Concurrent with the economic boom is a change in the people's thinking, from the concept that "It's shame to be rich" to a brand-new motto that "It's a pride to get rich through hard work in a lawful way."
| Welcome to the wonderful world of capitalism. Watch for plutocrats, now! |
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