David Moser meets respected Chinese public relations experts to analyze recent "Made in China" advertising on CNN, with particular focus on Chinese government PR efforts.

There are more than 5 million government-owned vehicles in China, which cost nearly 60 billion US dollars every year to operate.

And research shows that government officials and their family members often use these vehicles for private purposes, while the public picks up the tab.

The private use of government vehicles is part of the so-called "three public" problem here that has got a lot of Chinese people hot under the collar in the last few years. The "three public" refers to officials "wining and dining using public funds; using publicly-owned vehicles for private purposes, and using public funds to go on sightseeing trips."

The tax hike - of 6 to11 percent – could affect an estimated 350 million smokers across China. Although it took effect from the beginning of May it has only just been made public. In addition, a new tax of 5 percent was also imposed on cigarette wholesalers.
 
China's Tax Administration says the goal is “to increase government income and improve the cigarette taxing system”. It estimated the tax rise would bring in an extra $4.5 billion for the government.

Corruption at local government level is all too common in China.

Cases of officials accepting bribes and using public funds for themselves and their families are widespread. It's relatively unusual though for successful action to be taken is such cases.

However in a rare victory for community action, one group’s decade long struggle against local government has finally ended in victory.

As BON's Andrew Livingstone reports it's been a long hard battle.

I would ask about housing prices, and when ordinary people like us can afford an apartment of our own. The government has taken some measures but they haven’t helped. Since August and September last year, housing prices have doubled, and they are now way beyond what we can afford. That’s impossible! I never have and never will get a chance to talk to him, so I can’t ask him questions, and I don’t answer hypothetical questions. Many people have raised questions about the housing problem, as well as the corruption problem, and even discussed it in the National People's Congress, but it hasn’t done anything to solve them. In my opinion it is a problem of the whole system. I would ask about social welfare insurance, and how the government will care for elderly citizens. I think nowadays regulations are not enough, as we are not too sure about the future. There have been many cases of embezzling public funds, so I would ask how the government will act to put the money to its best use and strengthen supervision. I’m hopeful about the future.

Despite government measures to rein in the market, the cost of buying a place to live remains one of the hottest topics of discussion here in China. A key weapon in the government's war against high prices is low cost, government subsidized housing.

Fighting through a tangle of corruption and bureaucracy to get cut rate apartments built is one of the government's greatest challenges. But even once they're built, subsided apartments may be no panacea to discontent, as BON's Matt Schrader finds out in a closer look at one southern Chinese city.