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Beijing Asks Chinese People to Promote Communist Ideology

On Tuesday September 10, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the country’s top Internet regulator, issued a draft version of the “Cyber Ecological Governance Regulations.”  The document listed 20 categories of contents that are “prohibited ” or “not allowed,” but for the first time, the authorities explicitly encouraged seven types of information to be circulated in cyberspace.

The seven areas include propagating Xi Jinping’s thoughts; propagating the party’s theories, principles, policies, and major decisions, and the highlights of China’s economic and social development; promoting socialist values; guiding consensus among the Chinese people on certain social issues; improving the international influence of the Chinese culture, and promoting stability.

CAC stated that the main purpose of the regulations is to control the contents of the cyber information of the government, enterprises, society and netizens, and to strengthen positive energy and punish illegal information.

Source: Radio Free Asia, September 12, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/zhengzhi/gf2-09122019085837.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Chinese Intelligence Agents Are Monitoring Demonstrators in Germany

The German government disclosed that the Chinese authorities are monitoring and intimidating dissidents and demonstrators in Germany, including those who support the Hong Kong democracy movement. The German government pointed out that Chinese intelligence agents in Germany are playing a particularly significant role.

The above announcement was made in response to a question from the Alliance 90/The Greens. The Green Party asked in an inquiry: “Do the German government or the federal agencies know that Chinese institutions in Germany are trying to influence the freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and the personal rights of demonstrators?” The reply indicated that the German government is “informed” about Chinese authorities’ attempts to exert influence.

The German government further pointed out that a major focus of the Chinese intelligence bodies in Germany is to “monitor and oppose the movements that the Chinese authorities believe will challenge their ruling power and threaten national unity.” The German government also mentioned that it is the responsibility of the German states, not the federal government, to deal with such behaviors from China.

The Green party’s spokeswoman for human rights Margarete Bause called for the German government to take countermeasures. “Security agencies should protect people who are committed to fighting against the authoritarian regime and are in our country.” Bause believes that political and espionage activities against Chinese dissidents in exile or living in Germany should face consequences, “including the expulsion of those who have infiltrated our country and threatened the residents here.”

Katrin Göring-Eckardt, leader of the Green Party group, also pointed out to that the German government has admitted that many demonstrators in Germany are often obstructed. “Beijing’s long arm has reached into our country of the rule of law through its intelligence agencies, reached out to these demonstrators and posed a threat to them.”

Source: Deutsche Welle Chinese, September 13, 2019
https://p.dw.com/p/3PXRx

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Question Raised about First Chinese Australian MP’s Relationship to Chinese Communist Party

Gladys Liu was born in Hong Kong in 1964. In May 2019, she became the first Chinese Australian woman to be elected to the Australian House of Representatives. . She went to Melbourne in 1985 and became an Australian citizen in 1992. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation disclosed on September 10th that the Chinese government website showed that from 2003 to 2015, she served as a council member of the Guangdong provincial chapter of the China Overseas Exchange Association. In 2010, Liu also served as a council member of the Shandong branch of the association. The association accepts business guidance from the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council. In 2018, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council was merged into the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party, an agency dedicated to expanding the political penetration and influence of the Party.

In the face of questioning from Sky News, Liu said, “I don’t remember . . .” However, shortly afterwards, she issued a statement acknowledging that she had held an honorary position in the Guangdong chapter of the China Overseas Exchange Association in 2011, but said that there had been no contact with the organization since then. According to Australian media, Liu supports the Hong Kong democracy movement, but she refuses to call Xi Jinping a “dictator” and refuses to condemn the Chinese government’s actions in the South China Sea as being illegal.

Professor Clive Hamilton, a China researcher at Charles Sturt University, told ABC, “I think Parliament itself must now ask whether she is in breach of section 44 of the constitution, which disqualifies any member who owes allegiance to a foreign power.”

In 2017, Labor senator Sam Dastyari resigned from the Senate after being accused of receiving funding from Chinese political donors to support China’s foreign policy interests.

Source: Radio Free Asia, September 11, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/cc-09112019122938.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

IHS Markit: Hong Kong Economy Sees Its Biggest Decline in Ten Years

According to IHS Markit, a London based leading research and consulting firm, its recently released Hong Kong Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) shows that, in the month of August, Hong Kong’s business activity experienced its biggest decline since 2008.

The report pointed to the fact that Hong Kong’s business confidence has dropped to a record low. Pessimism continues to spread in major companies. The IHS Markit’s Hong Kong PMI, adjusted for seasonal fluctuations, fell from 43.8 in July to 40.8 in August, the worst month since February 2009. In general, an index above 50 represents an increase in activity in the private economy, while below 50 represents a decline. The calculation of the index includes statistics on new orders, outputs, employment, suppliers’ delivery time, and inventory purchases.

According to IHS Markit’s PMI index, Hong Kong’s economy has been declining for 17 consecutive months. The number of orders that mainland China placed in Hong Kong has fallen sharply. Almost half of the companies surveyed said that orders from mainland China had decreased. They believe that the Sino-US trade war, the sharp depreciation of the renminbi, and the large-scale demonstrations in Hong Kong are the reasons for the decline in orders from the mainland.

Bernard Aw, an economist at IHS Markit, said the latest survey shows that the Hong Kong economy is shrinking at a rate of 4 percent to 4.5 percent. In August of this year, the output, new orders, and the export volume of Hong Kong companies fell sharply. In the history of the company’s compilation of the PMI index, which is more than 20 years, only the 2003 SARS epidemic and the 2008-09 financial crisis were worse than today.

Even worse, more and more companies surveyed believe that the situation will deteriorate even further in the next 12 months. According to IHS Markit, about one-quarter of companies in July were pessimistic about the coming year; in August one-third of respondents held a gloomy outlook.

Source: Deutsche Welle, Chinese channel, September 4, 2019
https://p.dw.com/p/3OzWQ

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Head of State Media Group Meets with Heads of Reuters and Associated Press

Shen Haixiong, deputy head of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department and head of the China Media Group (CMG), met with Michael Friedenberg, President of Reuters News, and a leader of Associated Press, who attended the 2019 Belt and Road Media Community Summit Forum in Beijing on September 10. China Media Group is the most predominant state media company. It was founded in 2018 through the merger of China Central Television, China National Radio, and China Radio International.

According to the state media report, Friedenberg said that Reuters attaches great importance to the Chinese market, and attaches importance to the development of cooperative relations with CMG. He hopes to carry out all-round cooperation with CMG in financial reports and financial services, and improve the communication and feedback mechanism with CMG.

As reported by the state media, the AP leader said that the AP colleagues have witnessed the incredible rapid development in innovation and quality since the establishment of CMG. The Associated Press regards CMG as a partner and friend, while being neither a general customer nor a competitor. The Associated Press will support CMG’s objective and fair mainstream voice in the international public opinion arena.

Source: China Central Television, September 10, 2019
http://www.cctv.com/2019/09/10/ARTIFMuBojb1lZpw62KhKxts190910.shtml

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

China’s Urgent Political Task: Pork Production

On September 6, Hu Chunhua, China’s Vice Premier of the State Council, said during his trip to northeast Heilongjiang province that ensuring the supply of pork is one of the most urgent tasks of the current agricultural work. Hu mandated that all production areas accomplish the task of ensuring a stable production and supply “one hundred percent,” and that they clean up improper practices in raising pigs.

In the past six months, after the outbreak of African swine fever in China, the retail price of pork soared. This led to a rise in the price of food and other livelihood products. At present, it is a “significant major political task” to restore pig production and stabilize pork prices.

Heilongjiang province is one of China’s main pig production areas. Hu Chunhua was inspecting pig slaughtering and processing companies and breeding bases in Mudanjiang city on September 6. Hu was there to learn about the main problems facing pig production, the demands from farmers and firms, and the impact of the African swine fever epidemic.

Source: Central News Agency, September 7, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201909070053.aspx

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

China’s Central Bank to Release $126 Billion to Boost Economy

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) announced on Friday, September 6, that it would lower the reserve requirement ratio for financial institutions by 0.5 percent, effective September 16. China’s central bank said the move was to support the real economy and reduce social financing costs. The reserve requirement ratio is the minimum amount of reserves that must be held by a commercial bank.

In addition, the PBOC will lower the reserve ratio of 1 percent for the urban commercial banks. These measures are to be implemented on October 15 and November 15, respectively, with a 0.5 percent reduction each time. In other words, the PBOC will have successively lowered the reserve ratio for urban commercial banks three times, with a total reduction of 1.5 percent.

It is estimated that this round of ratio reductions will release funds of 900 billion yuan ($126 billion).

Earlier this year, the PBOC already implemented two rounds of reductions: a comprehensive ratio reduction of 0.5 percent in January and another 0.5 percent reduction for small and medium-sized banks between May and July.

Source: Radio Free Asia, September 6, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/bank-09062019112953.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

A Chinese University to Introduce Extensive Use of Facial Recognition Technology on Campus

Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine (NJUCM), a university located in Nanjing city in China’s Jiangsu province, announced that it will adopt a “pilot program” in the new semester of 2019 to install a facial recognition access control system at the school gate, the entrance to the student dormitory, the library, and the laboratory building. The school said that, by storing student and faculty information in a back-end database, students and faculty can swiftly pass the gate access control by “showing their faces.” which is more convenient and safer than the legacy system.

The surveillance cameras in the classroom, said the school, will automatically capture the student’s faces. In addition to helping improve the attendance rate, the system can also monitor the student’s class performance, including whether they are listening, how many times they look up (to the teacher), whether they are playing with their phone, and whether they doze off. NJUCM said that the intention is to remedy the situation of students skipping classes, being late, or leaving early. It will even eliminate the practice of hiring others to take classes.

Regarding the concerns over students’ privacy, NJUCM said it has consulted with the police and legal authorities. As the classroom is a public place, there is no issue of an infringement on privacy.

Chiu E-ling, secretary-general of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR), pointed out that this kind of comprehensive surveillance of students violates their human rights and is unnecessary. Chiu also questions how the collected data will be used.

Source: Radio Free Asia, September 3, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/Safety-09032019141214.html

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology