Skip to content

All posts by LKY - 159. page

Hu Jintao Signed off on Revised Regulations on Military Secrecy

Hu Jintao, chairman of the Central Military Commission, recently signed an order to promulgate the newly revised “Regulations of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army on Secrecy,” which will take effect on May 1, 2011. The new regulations redefine military secrets and require designated personnel to define, decode, and reevaluate security. They add a requirement to build an infrastructure to process security information as well as to ensure safety for Internet and mobile phone use. They establish guidelines for handling secrecy leaks based on job function and related law requirements. They also clarify responsibilities among security committee members, military personnel, and various management and administration levels.

Source: Xinhua, April 1, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-04/01/c_121259548.htm

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Huanqiu: Foreign Media Always Make Low Class Mistakes

An opinion article published on the website of Huanqiu, a bi-lingual newspaper owned by People’s Daily, complained about Western media’s coverage of China’s Jasmine Revolution.

Without giving details, the article claimed it had received tips from Internet users that the photos that some foreign media recently used on China’s Jasmine revolution came from unrelated events in the past. The author criticized the reporting as “unprofessional” and full of “hostility.” “The Majority of Western media portray China as awkward, lacking transparency, and always on guard against other countries. They are spreading a big lie." It also questioned why China gets the most criticism and is labeled a “totalitarian regime.” The article concluded, “Let me say something. … China’s Internet users understand many languages. They like politics, debate, and make good observations. No foreign media will get away with spreading rumors about China.”

Source: Huanqiu, March 26, 2011
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/roll/2011-03/1589974.html

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Report Shows Housing Demolition and Anti-Corruption Drew the Most Attention Online

On March 24, 2011, IRI Consulting Group, a research institute affiliated with the Communication University of China, issued an Internet Real time Public Opinion Index (IRI) report. The report revealed that land confiscation and housing demolition, anti-corruption, and the image of the police are the three issues that have drawn the most attention from Chinese Internet users.

The report said, “2008 was the first year for the Internet to touch on political issues; 2009 saw a fast growth in public opinion; 2010 was the year of microblogging in China.” Faced with the fast growth and spread of cyber public opinion, government bodies and officials have started to use microblogs as a tool to deal with the public. Microblogs have grown to be the third most popular Internet opinion source following news and online forums. 

Source: Xinhua, March 24, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-03/24/c_121227816.htm

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Scholar Rebuts CASS’s Report on the Middle Class

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) recently issued a report claiming that the size of China’s middle class stands at a quarter of the population and is growing at the rate of one percent per year.

Cheng Xiaonong, a U.S. based China expert, commented that “The concept of ‘middle class’ is borrowed from the West. There is a serious problem with using it in China. … The government willfully categorizes some people as middle class, which then becomes a banner for the government to tout its achievements. Government think tanks such as CASS then begin to dance with the government, using a variety of statistical indicators to put people into the bucket of the so-called middle class. If you look at public opinion, most Chinese people do not consider themselves to be middle class.”

Source: Radio Free Asia, March 26, 2011
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/zhong-03262011011353.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Overseas Chinese Media Echo Beijing’s Version of Social Stability

Xinhua recently quoted a few overseas Chinese media as saying that the overseas Chinese population calls for “fighting to safeguard the motherland’s stability and harmony.” They include Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao (《联合早报》), U.S. based Chicago China News and Digest (《芝加哥华语论坛》), Japan’s Chubun (《中文导报》) and European News or Nouvelles d’Europe (《欧洲时报》) in France. 

Source: Xinhua, March 15, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2011-03/15/c_13780316.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Ministry of Culture Closed Down 130,000 Black Internet CafÚs in Past Six Years

According to its 2010 Annual Report on China’s Internet Café Market, the Chinese Ministry of Culture closed down 130,000 Internet cafés in the past six years, “maximally squeezing their living space, effectively regulating the market order (for their services), and clearing obstacles to the healthy development of Internet cafes.” “In 2010 alone, the government received more than 20,000 charges against Internet cafes, initiated investigation of more than 30,000 cases, transferred 833 cases to judicial authorities, and closed 28,000 cases. The Ministry also issued 36,000 correctional orders, 69,000 warnings, 6,999 orders to close down the business, and suspended 83 licenses. It levied fines of 88.39 million yuan (US$13.47 million) and confiscated 0.39 million yuan (US$60,000) of illegal income.” The industry’s 2010 revenue was 7.71 million yuan (US$1.17 million), 12.96 percent down from the level in 2009.  

The report stated that its 2011 goal is to maintain the current market size while advancing franchise operations, stepping up law enforcement by increasing the penalties, and building Internet café associations. 

Source: Xinhua, March 17, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-03/17/c_13784383.htm

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Beijing Uses IBM Technology to Launch Social Service Management System

On March 16, 2011, Beijing’s Chaoyang District launched a comprehensive “Social Service Management” system. The system is a solution provided by IBM’s Smart City technology, which is capable of real-time processing of a large database, providing statistical and quantitative analyses, monitoring the progress, providing feedback, and realizing grid management of the space. Chaoyang’s Chinese Communist Party chief in charge of city management gave an example: “Chaoyang District has established a housing information database. Every residential building has a person-in-charge, (of the database) who controls the situation in every community and neighborhood with high precision.” 
Chaoyang’s system covers the following modules: emergency response, city management, stability maintenance, manufacturing safety, social services, customer support, dynamic economic environment, law and judiciary, and Communist Party buildup.

Sources:
China News Service, March 16, 2011 http://www.chinanews.com/tp/2011/03-16/2911090.shtml
Sohu IT, March 20, 2011 http://roll.sohu.com/20110320/n304608364.shtml

 

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Chinese Navy Participated in Multi-Nation Anti-Terrorist Exercises

On the morning of March 9, 2011, the Chinese Navy joined multi-nation anti-terrorist exercises along with Pakistan, Italy, and France in Karachi, Pakistan. The exercises tried to simulate how the Navy anti-terrorist team would respond to the task of rescuing “an abducted commercial ship” and identifying the suspects, while protecting the hostages.

Source: Xinhua, March 10, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-03/10/c_13771140.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military