On Chinese Media

Xinmin Weekly

Issue No. 1， published on January 5， 2015

“Bad Guys” Defense Counsel Rights

China is speeding up reforms to its judicial system. In the process many injustices are put to rights， but they underline the urgency of reforms and the tremendous challenges that still lie ahead. Some of these injustices can be attributed to institutional problems that jeopardize judicial independence， such as judicial administration. But the absence of a full guarantee of suspects rights to defense counsel is another main culprit.

To those unacquainted with the law， defending a person who has been allegedly involved in a serious crime seems unacceptable. Some might even regard a legal defender as more evil than the actual suspect. Moreover， the positioning of criminal defense attorneys directly opposite the plaintiff in court is often perceived by the latter as a confrontational stance. These two types of prejudice are huge obstacles to safeguarding a defendants rights to an attorney.

How should suspects and those defending them be treated？ And how can the rights of suspects to an attorney be guaranteed？ These issues call for serious research and discussion.

The Chinese dream cannot be realized without the rule of law. Defense attorneys are part and parcel of judicial activities， and thus vital to maintaining judicial justice. Judicial reform without the participation of criminal defense attorneys， therefore， cannot achieve tangible results. Better protection of the rights of defendants to an attorney through institutional improvements is hence an important issue in the ongoing reforms.

Justice is the bottom line of Chinas rule of law. The new start in 2015 to Chinas judicial reform will focus on safeguarding the rights to defense of “bad guys.”

Sanlian Life Weekly

Issue No. 1， published on January 5， 2015

Journey to the West

The very name “Silk Road”evokes exotic， legendary historical images. The places along it – Turkestan， Samarkand， Bukhara， Fergana， Tbilisi – all arouse the image of caravans， the gorgeous colors and subtle fragrances of their wares， the ringing of mosque bells， and the glory of ancient empires. Secular and religious civilizations mingled without incident along this ancient thoroughfare.

Our reporter traveled west to revisit the ancient Silk Road， with the aim of re-discovering this corridor connecting Asia and Europe. Chinas strategic Belt and Road Initiatives will usher in a new era of prosperity beyond peoples imagination. In a way， by observing the present situation of cities along the Silk Road nowadays and contemplating their future development prospects， our reporter experienced a historical process. Looking back at history is not merely to satisfy curiosity， but to better understand the present reality and future possibilities.endprint

South Reviews

Issue No. 1，

published on January 1， 2015

Grass-roots Entrepreneurship

In 2014， the expressions， “popular entrepreneurship” and “innovation” featured largely in Chinese discourse. Entrepreneurship and innovation are perceived as preliminary solutions to various social and economic problems under current circumstances， as confirmed at the Central Economic Work Conference that concluded in December 2014 in Beijing.

Starting an own business is nothing new， and no-one has ever disparaged innovation. To drive the economy through entrepreneurship and achieve the momentum necessary for sustainable development， China needs to restructure the politics， economy， culture， and education of the entire nation.

Entrepreneurial ventures need both finance and government support. This calls for the placing of capital and power in their respective appropriate positions and creating a business environment of fair competition wherein to tap and give free rein to entrepreneurial potential and capabilities.

Transparency is all that is needed in the business world. Real life is far more vivid than theories. A policy generates optimum effect when it is well implemented at the grass-roots level. Entering into the real world of new generation entrepreneurs means encountering survivors with a passion and enthusiasm for prosperity， and the original ethos of Chinese society.

Caijing

Issue No. 37，

published on December 29， 2014

Equal Property Rights

Chinas urbanization has in recent years encountered a bottleneck in land supply. In China， rural land is under collective ownership； it does not entail the same property rights as urban land， which is stateowned. To meet the demands of rapid urbanization， local governments expropriate rural land after compensating occupants， and legally change the land use upon transferring the land-use right to real estate developers.

However， this approach often encroaches on the 1.8 billion mu （1 mu = 666.6 sq.m.） “red line” of Chinas arable land. Cities nevertheless continue to expand. The situation calls for a new breakthrough， whereby rural construction land and homesteads enter the same supply sequence as urban land.

The central urbanization work conference in late 2013 proposed more efficient utilization of current available land to promote urbanization instead of blindly increasing the general land supply. Equal trading on the market of rural construction land under collective ownership will lift local governments out of their quandary over land use.endprint

Given Chinas vast territory， reforms of rural land property should be carried out step by step， according to different realities in different regions.

China Newsweek

Issue No. 48，

published on December 25， 2014

Overseas House-hunts

Having experienced a downturn in its domestic real estate market， in 2014 the Chinese became the biggest house buyers in property markets in the U.S.， Australia and certain European countries. About 44 percent of those surveyed cited emigration as the main reason why they bought houses abroad， followed by childrens education and investment.

The Chinese has overtaken Canadians as the biggest buyers in the U.S. real estate market， according to the latest report released in July 2014 of the U.S. National Association of Realtors. The Chinese are also top investors in the Australian property sector. The annual Australian Foreign Investment Review Board report shows that Chinese mainland investors purchases of houses in Australia amounted to US $5.9 billion in 2013 – 11.4 percent of the total bought by purchasers outside of Australia.

House purchases as a way of immigrating to Europe has been attracting growing numbers of Chinese buyers since 2012. This is attributable to simple， fast procedures， a better chance of being approved， and there being no academic or language requirements or need to verify sources of capital.

Chinese house buyers have consequently become star customers of foreign realtors. Under the backdrop of the current real estate market， people of wealth are more inclined to diversify their investments. A globalized investment pattern is thus taking shape.endprint