Chinas state media has issued an unusually candid warning of the risk of mass riots this year, in what observers said Wednesday reflected increasing jitters about the global economic crisis.
Outlook magazine, an authoritative weekly published by the Xinhua news agency, said in this weeks edition the economy might become so bad in the coming months that Chinas social fabric could start unraveling.
Meanwhile, Southern Chinas Guangdong province on Tuesday ordered legal authorities to treat law-breaking enterprises gently so as not to further upset business in tough economic times, state media said.
Guidelines issued by the government of Guangdong, the hub of Chinas manufacturing industry, said the order was aimed at light crimes and was meant to avoid adding to the woes of local companies hit by the global economic crisis.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
