CONFIDENTIAL #
機密
Serial Number: 51 03
Special Branch China Sitrep
23rd November, 1982
Synopsis
The Leadership
HUANG Hua and GENG Biao are succeeded by WU Xueqian and ZHANG Aiping as Foreign Minister and Defence Minister respectively.
Government and Party
2.
The fifth and final session of the current (5th)
National People's Congress will be held on 26th November.
The new State Constitution will most probably be accepted
and several laws will require revision. A resolution on the
election of deputies to next year's 6th NPC will also be
presented.
3.
The People's Daily calls for a correct assessment of 'class struggle' and gives five reasons why it will con-
tinue.
The Economy
4.
Xinhua says the peasants must not be selfish and
the Workers' Daily calls on factories to educate the workers
in the spirit of communism to motivate them to work harder.
5.
A State Economic Commission circular urges a 'streamlining' of China's major industries. China plans to become one of the world's leading shipbuilders.
6.
Xinhua claims that a falling crime rate is due mainly to education, but stiffer sentences, including the death penalty are more likely causes.
7.
The total area of available arable land is dimin- ishing, due to the illegal use of land for house construc- tion, capital construction projects, other changes of use and 'national disasters'.
8.
China intends to prevent the sale of Chinese goods to South Korea via Japan.
CONFIDENTIAL
/Foreign
機密