The Chinese military will stop all of its commercial activities before the end of the year, under a new guideline unveiled on Monday.The guideline, released by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, State Council and Central Military Commission, said that stopping all of the military's commercial activities is a strategically important decision made by the Party, the Central Military Commission and Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and is a significant part of the ongoing reform of national defense and the military.It said the work has entered a crucial stage that requires determination, planning and cooperation between the military, local governments and Party committees.Units of the People's Liberation Army and the Armed Police Force must ensure that their commercial activities are halted before year's end and their assets be maintained at their current value during the process, the document said.Contracts between the military and civilian entities that will not conclude by year's end should be terminated by that time through negotiation or legal procedures, it said, adding that compensation will be given for economic losses.Under the guideline, commercial activities with sophisticated situations should be dealt with in a flexible manner such as entrusting civilian entities to manage them.It urged government and military departments to make policies to regulate nonmilitary programs assigned by the central government in the future.The document said all properties, land and reception facilities owned by the military and used for commercial purposes will be administered and allocated by the Central Military Commission.The Chinese military started running its own businesses in the mid-1980s to offset a defense budget decrease.In 1992, the Central Military Commission approved commercial activities by the PLA and the Armed Police Force. In February 2016, the Central Military Commission ordered the PLA and Armed Police Force to halt commercial activities within three years.Many corruption cases involving senior officers were closely connected to the military's commercial activities, and the military's involvement in commercial sectors aroused public concerns, said Senior Colonel Gong Fangbin, a political education researcher at PLA National Defense University. silicone wristbands ukrubber bracelets cheaplivestrong braceletpersonalized silicone braceletspersonalized rubber braceletsrubber arm bands
Cambodia's Prime Minister and president of Cambodian People's Party (CPP) Hun Sen looks at the ballot box after casting his vote during local elections in Kandal province, Cambodia June 4, 2017. [Photo/Agencies] KANDAL, Cambodia - Since early Sunday morning, Cambodian voters have queued at polling stations across the country, waiting their turns to cast ballots in the 4th commune elections. Cambodians are confident that their votes will bring good leaders to their villages and communes. The election is crucial to electing good commune chiefs and councilors who care about the people and devote their physical and mental energies to commune and village development, 56-year-old businesswoman Seang Chantheng told Xinhua after casting her vote at a polling station in the southern Kandal province. She revealed that she voted for the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) since the party has brought full peace and development to the country. The party I trust, the party I have always supported is the Cambodian People's Party and today I voted for the party, she said. Eang Dane, 19, a high-school student in the capital of Phnom Penh, said she also cast her ballot for the CPP and believed that only leaders from the CPP could bring real development to the grassroots people. It was the first time I have voted, I'm really happy, she told Xinhua after voting at a station in Phnom Penh. I love the CPP because the party has brought peace and development to our country. Dane was confident that the CPP would continue to win the elections for further development in communes and villages, especially the development of roads, bridges, schools and hospitals. Kim Sokhonn, a 46-year-old housewife who voted at a polling station in Kandal province, said she felt free to vote for the party she liked, and there was no intimidation. I hope that all political parties will accept the election results. I don't want to see the situation like it was in 2013, she told Xinhua, referring to the national elections in July 2013 in which the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) did not recognize the election results and staged mass protests for months. Twelve political parties have contested in Sunday's elections, with the ruling CPP and the opposition CNRP being the major contestants, according to the National Election Committee (NEC). CPP President and Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen voted at a polling station near his mansion in Kandal province, roughly 10 km south of the capital on Sunday, while CNRP President Kem Sokha cast his ballot in Phnom Penh. Hun Sen said during an election campaign on Friday that he was confident that the CPP would continue to win the majority in the polls. There is only the CPP that has sufficient capacity to govern Cambodia and to maintain the country's peace and development, he said, adding that the party has more than 5 million members. Approximately 7.87 million eligible voters are expected to vote in the elections which are held to elect 11,572 commune chiefs and councilors for the kingdom's 1,646 communes. The preliminary election results are expected on Sunday evening and the official results will be released 21 days after the votes. Held every five years, the commune elections are seen as a bellwether of the ruling party's support ahead of the national elections in July 2018. In the last commune elections in June 2012, the CPP gained 61.9 percent of the votes, compared to about 30.6 percent for the opposition.
