China Philanthropy News
August 15, 2006
Issue 007

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China Philanthropy News is produced by Grantmaker Without Borders (Gw/oB) as a service to grantmakers and donors interested in philanthropic engagement with China. For more information on Grantmakers Without Borders, visit www.gwob.net. To suggest a posting or to subscribe or unsubscribe to China Philanthropy News, send an email to john@gwob.net.

CONTENTS

NEWS
1) China to punish health workers who carry out sex-based abortion
2) Website and magazine chat forum shut down in wave of censorship
3) China to divert Tibet's waters to other parched regions
4) As energy consumption surges, China looks to coal
5) China to invest heavily in environmental protection

RESOURCES
6) China: the intersections between poverty, health inequity, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS
7) The implications of China's growth for other Asian countries

AT GWOB
8) China pages now featured on Gw/oB's website
9) CPN readers invited to submit book reviews on China-related publications

NEWS

1) China to punish health workers who carry out sex-based abortion
The strong cultural preference for female children in China has lead to a sex ratio of 119 boys born for every 100 girls, compared to the global ratio of 103 to 107 boys for 100 girls. Selective abortion is one culprit. China's legislature had scrapped a bill in June that would have introduced fines and prison terms for aborting girls, but an official has said that that did not mean there was any relaxation in the policy against selective abortion. China plans to punish health workers who help to abort female fetuses, despite the decision not to criminalize the practice. Family planning laws still forbid selective abortion for non-medical purposes, and authorities have prosecuted 3,000 such cases over the last two years. In related news, an activist who raised concerns about forced abortion and sterilization in Shandong province is set to be tried on public order offences. Reported by the BBC. For more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5237980.stm

2) Website and magazine chat forum shut down in wave of censorship
Reporters Without Borders has called for the immediate reopening of Century China (Shiji Zhongguo - www.cc.cn.org), one of the most influential websites for Chinese intellectuals, and the chat forum of the magazine "Life Week" ("Sanlian Shenghuo Zhoukan" - www.lifeweek.com.cn), which carried foreign media reports. Century China stopped posting articles by its contributors at the behest of the authorities on July 25th, while the "Life Week" forum was suddenly closed down without explanation. "At a time when the Chinese Internet seems to be undergoing a new wave of censorship, we remind the authorities that their constitution is supposed to guarantee free expression." Reported by CIVICUS. More at www.civicus.org/new/content/CenturyChinawebsite.htm

3) China to divert Tibet's waters to other parched regions
Two-thirds of China's roughly 600 cities suffer water shortages, including 108 with serious shortfalls, and the Yellow River, one of the north's main waterways, is shrinking because of rising demand for water. In response, China is preparing a controversial scheme to channel water from Tibet to the Yellow River. The project could run to a cost of 300 billion Yuan (US$37.5 billion) and will be one of China's most technically challenging feats to date. Construction could start as early as 2010 and would involve harnessing rivers cascading from the Tibetan highlands. This project would complement another water diversion project already under construction that will draw water from the much larger Yangtze River to ease shortages in Beijing and elsewhere. Environmentalists and advocates of Tibetan autonomy say the plan threatens the region's ecology and culture. "It epitomizes this assumption that Tibet is the water tower of Asia," said Tashi Tsering, a Tibetan expert on the region's resources at the University of British Columbia. "Tibet's water availability is actually quite limited and these rivers depend on glaciers that are receding." Reported by Chris Buckley on Reuters. More at http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP237476.htm.

4) As energy consumption surges, China looks to coal
In 2005 alone, China added 65 GW of power generation capacity - roughly equivalent to the entire power capacity of the United Kingdom. Its yearly electricity generation hit 2.4 trillion kWh, making China the world's second largest power generator behind the US. In the short term, constructing new coal power plants is likely to be the only way to keep up with increasing demand: Coal is abundant and cheap, and new coal projects face fewer short-term risks than other sources such as gas and nuclear. China has recognized that energy security requires it to diversify its fuel mix away from the heavy dependence on coal, which currently makes up almost 80% of the country's fuel mix. While significant efforts are underway to diversify the energy sector, given the long asset life of power plants, turning to other energy sources will take some time. More at http://www.wbcsd.org/plugins/DocSearch/details.asp?type=DocDet&ObjectId=MTk2ODI

5) China to invest heavily in environmental protection
China has made plans to spend 1.4 trillion Yuan (US$175 billion) over the next five years on protecting its environment. The sum, equivalent to 1.5% of China's annual economic output, will be used to improve water quality and cut air and land pollution and soil erosion. China has some of the world's most polluted cities and waterways. Under the plan, sewage treatment plants will be built in 10 river valleys to reduce the harmful impact of wastewater from cities. Money will also be spent on cutting levels of sulphur dioxide and dust in large cities. Reported by the BBC. More at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5192376.stm.

RESOURCES

6) China: the intersections between poverty, health inequity, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS
Author: Kaufman, J.; Produced by: Gender and Health Equity Network (2005)
This article outlines how the intersections between poverty, health inequity and reproductive health, including HIV, affect rural women in China. The author describes how in recent years, there has been a shift back towards social investment in health and education. However, despite acknowledgements of rural health inequities, efforts to overhaul the health insurance system have focused on financing for curative care, and most attention in health reform has been focused on the "for profit" hospital system. Weaknesses in the public health system and prevention services continue to receive little attention. The author warns that this will not address the many health threats to poor, rural Chinese women. Available online at: http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC22325

7) The implications of China's growth for other Asian countries
Authors: Humphrey, J.; Schmitz, H.; Produced by Asian Drivers Programme, Institute of Development Studies (2006)
This paper explores the implications of China's economic growth for other Asian countries, looking at China's growing demand for natural resources and manufactured goods and the possibilities it opens for its neighbors to fill this demand. Among the authors' policy conclusions: The most effective way that China can help poorer countries in the region to develop is by facilitating access to the Chinese market and by paying attention to ethical sourcing so that potentially negative effects of increased exports are neutralized Available at: http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC22329.

AT GW/OB

8) China pages now featured on Gw/oB's website
Gw/oB has recently begun including China-focused pages on our website. In addition to posting past editions of China Philanthropy News, the site also features links and other helpful resources for China grantmakers. Gw/oB looks forward to expanding the site and very much welcomes suggestions on additional resources we might include. Visit http://www.gwob.net/china/index.htm to review the site and email John Harvey, at john@gwob.net, with your suggestions for the China pages on the website.

9) CPN readers invited to submit book reviews on China-related publications
CPN readers invited to submit book reviews on China-related publications Have you recently read a book on China that you'd like to tell others about? Gw/oB warmly welcomes book review submissions by China Philanthropy News readers. Such reviews would be very valuable for those interested in reading up on China but unsure of what books would be most interesting and helpful for their work. If you'd like to submit a book review, please email John Harvey, at john@gwob.net.

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