(May 3, 2010) In the afternoon of October 12, 2009, Chinese citizen, taxpayer, electricity consumer, and law graduate, Ren Xinghui, using the law his government had enshrined to protect Chinese citizens’ rights to information about government expenditures, exercised his right: he went to the offices of the Ministry of Finance and submitted a formal and legal request for the monies raised and spent to build the world’s largest hydro dam, Three Gorges on China’s Yangtze River. Here he explains what he asked for, why, and what happened next.
Beijing court rejects Three Gorges lawsuit filed by Ren Xinghui
(April 17, 2010) His bid to obtain Three Gorges Fund information may have been thwarted but applicant Ren Xinghui vows to carry on.
Beijing court rejects Three Gorges lawsuit filed by Ren Xinghui
(April 16, 2010) This is a summary of an article originally published April 12, 2010 in the Outlook Weekly (Liaowang xinwen zhoukan). After waiting for more than two months, and making three trips seeking a reply from the Beijing First Intermediate People’s Court, Ren Xinghui finally got a clear answer. On April 8, Ren Xinghui was told the Court had decided not to accept his lawsuit and that a written order would be sent him within seven days.
Opening the books: Chinese citizens calling for greater transparency
(March 16, 2010) Ren Xinghui’s recent decision to sue China’s Ministry of Finance over the Three Gorges levy – added to electricity bills in the 1990s to help pay for the massive infrastructure project – has raised a number of eyebrows.
Three Gorges construction fund under scrutiny
(March 8, 2010) A Chinese law school graduate recently sued China’s Ministry of Finance for denying his right, as a taxpayer, to information about the Three Gorges Construction Fund. This is the first time a taxpayer has challenged the Chinese regime.
An interview with the man who sued China’s Ministry of Finance to safeguard Chinese citizens’ right to know
(February 12, 2010) Tired of paying into a fund for the construction of Three Gorges dam without knowing how the money was being spent, Ren Xinghui took matters into his own hands.
Researcher sues ministry over special utility fee
(January 29, 2010) A Beijing man is taking the Ministry of Finance to court after the agency refused to explain to him how they spend the extra fee tacked on to the electricity bills of nearly every household in the country.
An ordinary citizen probes Three Gorges Dam finances
(February 6, 2010) On January 26, Ren Xinghui, a young Beijing resident, decided to stand up against China’s Ministry of Finance. Why? Because his request that income and expenditures for the Three Gorges dam project be made public in accord with China’s National Ordinance on Government Information Release was rejected by the Ministry.
Rule of law meets the Three Gorges dam
(January 27, 2010) Ren XingHui, a Beijing resident, has made headlines in the Chinese Internet press by using the country’s new disclosure law to request information about government funding of the Three Gorges dam.
Beijing resident sues the Ministry of Finance, requiring the disclosure of the Three Gorges dam cost
(January 26, 2010) Last year, Ren XingHui, a citizen of Beijing, submitted an application to the Ministry of Finance for the public disclosure of the Three Gorges dam cost but was rejected. Yesterday, Ren XingHui filed a law suit against the Ministry of Finance in Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court.
Chronology of Ren Xinghui’s case: Prepared by Probe International
(January 4, 2010) A chronology of Ren Xinghui’s quest to discover what happened to the money collected for the Three Gorges Construction Fund.