Officials' Salaries to be Equalized
Cover
Salaries of officials from under-developed areas in China would see a bump as compensation across the board is "ironed" out, according to a reform being hammered out by the Ministry of Finance which is being kept under tight lock and key. Officials have complained that salaries are not standardized, with significant gaps between provinces.
Original Article:[Chinese]

Power Industry Rescue Package Moves Forward
Cover
A solution to losses suffered by the power industry is under study by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). Four schemes are ready for deliberation, which respectively feature direct fiscal subsidies, a rise in on-grid prices (but not retail ones), mutual adjustment of coal and electricity prices at local level, and nationwide adjustments. A final draft would be submitted to the State Council before June.
Original Article:[Chinese]

SOE's Lobby to Abolish Bonus Payment
News, page 3
In reaction to dipping profits in the first quarter of 2008, state-owned enterprises are applying to abolish bonus payment to the state treasury that have been imposed on them since 2007.  Research has been launched in response by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC). Despite this, the hope of most SOEs might be dashed as the SASAC director Li Rongrong noted that the uses for the bonuses had already been budgeted.
Original Article:[Chinese]

Stock Reform for Agricultural Bank of China
News, page 5
The cost of the Agricultural Bank of China's stock system reform would cost up to 800 billion yuan, according to analysts using information from the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) 2007 Annual Report. The report also said that the non-performing loan balance of the bank in 2007 was 806.51 billion yuan, and that preparation for loan losses might amount to 653.95 billion.
Original Article:[Chinese]

Transporting Grains for Thousands of Miles
News, page 7
The Northeast China Area, mainly covering Hei Longjiang, Jilin and Liaoning province, is the most important grain base in China and suffers from the transport bottleneck every year. And thus the farmers are also plagued by the lower price there. However, this year, the state decides to concentrate on transporting the grain there out to southern provinces to help the locals sell their grain.
Original Article:[Chinese]

Another Kind of Youth
Nation, page 9
Recent sweatshop and child-labor reports have cast the spotlight on youth laborers, which were born in the 1980s or 1990s. Li Fuchao is one such laborer who comes from the poor mountainous area of Jiangxi province. He departed from home at 15 years of age for Dongguan City, Guangdong province for making an earning. Despite his low monthly salary, he has been satisfied with his earnings. He said "I miss myfamily but don't want to go home. The money I earned one month here is much more than my families' one-year incomes."
Original Article:[Chinese]

Comparing China and India's Freedom of Information Laws
Commentary, page 16
Commentator Xu Zhiyong compares China's new freedom of information regulation with its counterpart in India. The Chinese one does not hold as high a legal standing given that it is put out by the State Council as a regulation and not by the National People's Congress, the formal legislative body of China. And aside from having a smaller scope, due to China's legal framework making it impossible to sue government entities, there is little that can be done by those whose applications for information are denied.
Original Article:[Chinese]