SHANGHAI SUMMER SIMMERING WITH SUB-SURFACE SOCIAL STRIFE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SHANGHAI 000351 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/CM, INR AND DRL NSC FOR KUCHTA-HELBLING E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/7/2034 TAGS: PGOV PHUM ECON ELAB SOCI ASEC CH SUBJECT: SHANGHAI SUMMER SIMMERING WITH SUB-SURFACE SOCIAL STRIFE REF: BEIJING 2066 AND PREVIOUS CLASSIFIED BY: BEATRICE CAMP, CONSUL GENERAL, US CONSULATE SHANGHAI, DEPARTMENT OF STATE. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Two recent housing protests as well as other local concerns that cropped up during the summer highlight the continuing challenges to social stability in Shanghai. Consulate contacts say housing issues will remain a point of contention in the coming months, but point out that unrest to date has been localized and contained. In addition to housing issues, Muslim migrants' reactions to violence in Xinjiang and ongoing discussion about the city's demographic concerns attracted high-level attention from the Shanghai Municipal Government. End Summary. Shanghai Housing Protests Reveal Discontent -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On June 27, A 13-story apartment building under construction in western Shanghai's Minhang District collapsed, killing a worker inside. Hundreds of people who had pre-purchased apartments in the building (489 of 629 vacant apartments had been sold) immediately staged a protest outside the site to demand answers about the collapse and submit requests for their deposits to be returned. Netizens alleged that the builder, Shanghai Meidu Real Estate Company, had purchased the property for a below-market price because of improper relationships with district government officials. The scale of the protest elevated the collapse to a national story and led to a call by Shanghai Party Secretary Yu Zhengsheng and Mayor Han Zheng for an official investigation. Allegations of corruption and impropriety later surfaced in the mainstream local media, with the Shanghai Daily and Oriental Morning Post reporting on links between the development company and the Minhang District Government. One month after the collapse, on July 28, six businessmen from the company were arrested. Several government officials, including Minhang District Vice Governor Lian Zhenghua and Meilong Town Mayor Shi Baoqi, were slapped with administrative warnings. ¶3. (SBU) Separately, on July 19, Shanghai media reported a second major housing protest in Hongkou District, north of the 
city center. Photos also were posted on the internet of nearly 100 protestors clashing with police outside the Baohua City Garden sales office. Protestors complained that the construction of Baohua buildings had damaged the foundations of their neighboring apartments, causing cracks in the walls. The Hongkou protest attracted considerable attention from netizens, but their opinions reflected a split between those who classified the protestors as "troublemakers" and offered assurances that "the government will take care of it" versus others who were pessimistic, stating that "protests have no use" and "in this type of situation, the government usually keeps the profits." Localized and Contained, But Concerns Remain -------------- ¶4. (C) Consulate contacts told PolOff that while housing protests in Shanghai are nothing new, the scale of the Minhang SHANGHAI 00000351 002 OF 003 and Hongkou protests was significant, and they are worried about future unrest stemming from housing problems. Pan Rui, a Shanghai native and a professor at the Center of American Studies at Fudan University, said on July 28 that he "never saw anything like" the Minhang building collapse. Pan observed that Shanghai's rapid pace of development leads developers to take too many shortcuts in order to complete projects. ¶5. (C) Mao Hengfeng, a local housing activist, told PolOff on July 27 that she remains concerned about the handling of housing issues by police. Mao and Pan both pointed out that Shanghai is one of the primary sources of many of the housing petitioners who travel to Beijing with grievances. Mao said she knows of two evictees who recently were arrested by police to prevent them from taking their petitions to Beijing. ¶6. (C) James Cai, Deputy Director of the Xuhui District Foreign Affairs Office, said on July 30 that he believes the Shanghai Municipal Government needs to improve its housing policies. According to Cai, the local government in particular opens itself up to a rash of problems when forcing residents to relocate to make way for a public works project such as a new subway stop. The negotiated settlement for relocation is not very transparent, Cai complained, and Shanghai residents have realized that if they are the last "hold out" (dingzizhu),then they stand a chance to receive greater compensation than their fellow tenants. The municipal government has backed itself into a place where if it is "too tough of a negotiator," it is criticized for being too forceful in its policy. If it allows residents to hold out, then it encourages people to take the same approach in other communities, thereby increasing the chances of protests and instability. Shanghai Muslims' Reactions to Xinjiang Violence -------------- --- ¶7. (C) Local officials also were concerned during July with Muslim migrants' reactions to violence in Xinjiang (see reftel). The Oriental Morning Press reported on July 9 that all of the municipal government's top officials -- Municipal Party Secretary Yu Zhengsheng, Mayor Han Zheng, the Chairmen of both the Municipal People's Congress and the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and Deputy Party Secretary Yin Yicui -- split into groups to visit Xinjiang Uighur migrants who work in the city, visiting hotels, restaurants, and the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. ¶8. (C) While eating at a Uighur Restaurant on July 30, Xuhui District FAO Deputy Director Cai told PolOff that Shanghai's Uighurs remained calm throughout July, pointing out that the Uighurs working in a restaurant jam-packed with customers do not want to jeopardize the earnings that they send home to Xinjiang as remittances. The Party Secretary of Zhejiang Province's Yiwu Municipality -- a city with a sizable Muslim population -- voiced a similarly confident view during a meeting with the Consul General on July 23, stating that Uighurs in East China have good jobs, and their families in Xinjiang rely on their remittances. Whatever the reason, despite the initial concerns, there were no reports of ethnic violence in Shanghai during July. Demographic Debates -------------- ¶9. (SBU) In late July, two separate policy pronouncements on SHANGHAI 00000351 003 OF 003 demographic issues sparked on-line discussion. First, the Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission said in a statement on July 23 that authorities will go door-to-door to encourage couples to have a second child if they both grew up as only children. Local officials were quick to point out that the campaign is consistent with the Central Government's one-child policy and only serves to remind residents where there are exceptions. The reminder is necessary, they said, because of the growing percentage of registered residents who are now age 60 or older. Most bloggers' reactions to the initiative posted on Baidu appeared to be relatively positive, with many pointing out the obvious problem that "the old are many, the young are few." ¶10. (SBU) At the same time, however, reactions were largely negative towards a Shanghai Daily report on July 24 that the Shanghai police are "raising the public's awareness of the demographic data collection of all residents living in the city, including migrant workers and foreigners, for better security and urban planning." Hongkou District piloted a project to collect demographic data by going door-to-door in 2008, and the program was expanded in March 2009. Articles and blogs questioned the security of private information that is provided to residential information collectors. CAMP