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China Will Close Public Access to Court Decision Documents

On November 21, 2023, China’s Office of the Supreme People’s Court issued a “Notice on the Construction of the National Court Judgment Document Database.” It announced that the new “National Court Judgment Document Database” will go live in January 2024. However, it will only offer internal access to court personnel to retrieve judgment documents. Lawyers, legal researchers, and the general public will not have access.

The Supreme People’s Court’s current online system, known as “China Judgments Online,” will stop operation. Many legal practitioners in China view this new development as a big setback for transparency in China’s judicial system. The old system offered legal professionals and the general public to access records during the past 10 years. Since its launch on July 1, 2013, China Judgments Online has accumulated a total of more than 143 million court decisions and has received hundred billion visits.

Source: Radio Free Asia, December 13, 2023
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/gt-12132023031651.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics Information/Technology

Economic Bailout with Chinese Characteristics: Controlling Public Opinion on the Economy

China’s economy slowed significantly in 2022 due to multiple headwinds including COVID-19 impacts, strained international supply chains, over-regulation of sectors (e.g. real estate), and weak domestic consumption. Against this backdrop of negative economic news, Chinese authorities have stepped up propaganda efforts and media controls to bolster public confidence.

At a recent meeting, the CCP Politburo stressed the need to “strengthen economic propaganda and public opinion guidance” on the economy. State media like People’s Daily and Xinhua have since published unequivocally-upbeat commentaries, quoting Xi Jinping’s reassurances about progress towards high-quality development and solid progress in overcoming the post-pandemic transition. Such overtly-promotional coverage aims to shape perceptions now that growth has slipped below targets.

Starting in 2021, officials shut down many non-state social media accounts that were speaking negatively about the economy (“black mouth” accounts). In 2022, top finance influencers on the internet – Wu Xiaobo, Ren Zeping and Hong Hao – faced speech bans despite their large numbers of followers. Economic analysts suspect such muzzling of dissenting voices will now further intensify, aiming to suppress doubts about the official claims regarding economic recovery.

Authorities are blaming China’s current economic struggles on external factors like US-China ties and global supply chains. Domestic weaknesses remain apparent – the long-troubled property sector still drags heavily, and Chinese consumers have become thrifty amidst uncertainty conditions.

As 2024 begins, Xi Jinping has clearly prioritized projecting strength and stability regarding growth prospects, given the recent Politburo directive to reinforce propaganda and guidance.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), December 11, 2023
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202312110286.aspx

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Chinese Media Outlet Bans Use of Translations Not Provided by Xinhua News

South Korean daily newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that a prominent Shanghai-based Chinese media outlet has banned editors and journalists from quoting foreign media reports translated by outlets other than China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency. The ban was allegedly issued in July after the outlet appointed a new president affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party. Analysts say the move reflects Beijing’s growing efforts to control the flow of information from abroad and convey the leadership’s narrative to the public.

The Chosun Ilbo article argues that this sort of information control is not without precedent in China, citing the security law that led Hong Kong outlets like Sing Tao Daily and Apple Daily to come under Beijing’s influence or cease operations. It represents China cutting off channels for “anti-China public opinion.” According to a Chinese journalist, domestic media can now only do independent reporting on “little things” concerning the country.

The article states that China started blocking the websites of major Western news outlets like Time and The Economist in 2016. Now, domestic media are restricted from citing foreign reports, cutting the flow of outside information into China. Recent years have also seen tight control over state media coverage of Xi Jinping at official events, with only pre-approved CCTV, Xinhua, and compliant outlets granted access. As a result, Chinese media present a uniform, government-sanctioned image of Xi, with only a few vetted experts allowed to comment.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), December 5, 2023
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202312050034.aspx

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

RFA: Beijing Removing English from Road Signs

According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), dual-language road signs in Beijing are being replaced with Chinese-only road signs. Previously, many road signs had both Chinese and English. Authorities in Beijing said the updating will enhance the “overall city image,” give citizens a sense of belonging, and improve road safety and traffic efficiency. The change comes not long after directional signs on highways across China were changed from Chinese-language-only to dual Chinese-and-English signs.

The move  triggered a nationwide online discussion. Some speculated that Beijing may feel that its relationship with the West is completely hopeless, citing the recent meeting between Biden and Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in the US. Some netizens expressed worry that the all-Chinese road signs may cause inconvenience to foreign tourists. Others stated that many government officials send their kids to foreign countries [in the West] even as Western languages are at home in China. Meanwhile, some supporters of the new policy expressed the view that the transportation department’s signage update is a manifestation of cultural confidence and of China’s international status.

Both the Traffic Management Bureau of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and Beijing’s Municipal Traffic Service Hotline were unavailable for comment.

Source: RFA, December 1, 2023
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/meiti/gt-12012023070307.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics Social Stability

Consular Volunteer Programs: Another of the CCP’s Long-Armed Control Mechanisms

According to a report by Spain-based human rights organization Safeguard Defenders, Beijing has established a “Consular Volunteer” mechanism over the past decade. The Consular Volunteer Programs, which operate out of Chinese consulates in foreign countries, engage in information gathering, infiltration, and surveillance globally. Beijing does not notify host countries about such programs, violating the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. The report follows Safeguard Defenders’ disclosure last year of over 100 overseas police stations established by the Chinese government in more than fifty countries.

Such “Consular Volunteer networks” have been established in several dozen Chinese overseas communities, including in the U.S., Belgium, Sweden, Italy, the U.K., Spain, Greece, Portugal, France, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Turkey, Chile, Malaysia, Japan, the UAE, South Africa, and other countries across five continents. The report by Safeguard Defenders has released an investigative report titled “China’s Consular Volunteers.”

According to the report, the programs would recruit Chinese overseas individuals, some unpaid but provided with operational expenses directly managed by the consulate. Working as “volunteers,” these individuals are controlled by the Chinese government to engage in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) united front work.

The CCP’s integraiton of overseas united front networks with consular services has enabled it to systematically obtain personal information, home addresses, and contact details of different targets. The gathered information may be used to systematically harm or manipulate overseas groups or use coercive means against those who have political views unaligned with Beijing.

The Safeguard Defenders report noted that the G7 group issued a joint statement after its May 2023 summit in Hiroshima, explicitly demanding that China comply with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Just a few months later, China’s State Council promulgated a set of “Consular Protection and Assistance Regulations,” effective starting September 1, 2023, which encouraged Chinese overseas consulates to recruit volunteers and to recognize and reward the volunteers’ performance.

Sources:

Radio Free Asia, November 22, 2023
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/hx2-11222023091732.html

SafeguardDefenders.com, November 21, 2023
https://safeguarddefenders.com/en/blog/chinas-consular-volunteers

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

Pro-CCP Crowd Attacked Anti-CCP Protesters During Xi Jinping’s Visit to San Francisco

Chinese Embassies and Consulates in the United States organized many Chinese associations and student associations to welcome Xi Jinping when he attended the APEC meeting and the Biden-Xi Summit in San Francisco from November 15 to 17. These pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) people outnumbered the anti-CCP protesters by several times. Over a dozen incidents were reported where pro-CCP people attacked anti-CCP protesters and injured them.

A representative of the Chinese Democratic Party, which opposes the CCP and is banned in mainland China, said that 24 of the group’s members were assaulted by individuals associated with pro-CCP overseas groups, resulting in several injuries. The China Democracy and Human Rights Alliance, as well as the Democracy Front, reported that several of their protesters were also assaulted.

Protester Jia Junwei told Voice of America that “They chased me continuously. After surrounding me with the Chinese flag, a woman in her forties or fifties knocked me down. Then, they kicked my head, and used the flagpole to attack my head. Later, I was taken to the hospital.” Hong Kong protester Zhou Qihong, 74, was assaulted twice on November 15 and 17 in different locations by pro-Communist thugs. Topjor Tsultrim, a member of the Free Tibet organization, informed Voice of America, “At least 30 Tibetan protesters were beaten by pro-CCP groups. The attack at the airport protest site on November 17 was the most intense one against the Tibetan protesters. Three young Tibetan university students were attacked by over 20 Chinese individuals with metal rods, resulting in head injuries and broken bones. Eventually, they had to be taken to the hospital. On the same day, several Tibetans were struck with flags, stabbed with iron rods, and women’s hair was pulled. One of our activists was recording everything when her phone was snatched from her and thrown into the river.”

The San Francisco police didn’t arrest any pro-CCP persons. They did arrested protester Jie Lijian, however.

Jie was released from the San Francisco County Jail without bail on November 20. He told Voice of America, “We were peacefully protesting, and people from Chinese overseas groups attacked my back and head with flagpoles and steel pipes. I began vomiting and needed to use the restroom. In the process of finding a restroom, I was isolated and arrested by the police in an alley.” Jie also said, “If I didn’t defend myself in a situation where my head was being attacked with steel pipes, I wouldn’t be here speaking with everyone. I might have been beaten to death by the other party.”

Many human rights activists believe these attacks should not be allowed to happen in the U.S. They show the CCP’s long-armed influence on U.S. soil. Chinese human rights groups and pro-democracy activists have kept tally of beatings and injuries by the pro-CCP groups; they are planning to provide evidence criminal conduct to the FBI and Congress.

Source: Voice of America, November 22, 2023
https://www.voachinese.com/a/congress-urged-to-probe-attacks-on-chinese-dissidents-in-xi-jinping-protest-20231121/7364581.html

Briefings | | |   @CS Government/Politics US-China Relations

CCP’s United Front Minister Meets Future Elite Thai Leaders Trained by China

On November 23rd, a high-level Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official met with representatives of the “Thailand-China New Era Leadership Elite Training Program” in Beijing. The official, Shi Taifeng, is a CCP Politburo member and Minister of the CCP’s United Front Work Department. Shi promoted China’s ideology of the “China-Thailand Community for a Shared Future for Mankind” and the CCP’s “Belt and Road Initiative.” On the same day, Wan Lijun, Chairman of the CCP’s Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, also met with the visiting Thai delegation. Sahathai Maneechot, former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, expressed intention to strengthen close ties with the CCP’s Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and to collaborate on the CCP’s “Community of Shared Future for Mankind.”

The “Thailand-China New Era Leadership Training Program” started as early as 2018, initiated by the Chinese Association in Thailand. It is held several times a year, with high-ranking figures from Thailand’s political, military, business, and academic sectors participating.

At the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China in September of this year, China’s Premier Li Qiang announced the “Ten Thousand People Training and Seminar Program,” in which China will train 10,000 talents for ASEAN countries in the fields of governance, anti-corruption, and green development.

Sources:
1. Epoch Times, November 25, 2023
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/11/25/n14123929.htm
2. Chinascope, September 15, 2023

Li Qiang Announced China’s Leadership Training Programs for ASEAN Countries

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

China’s New Head of Culture and Tourism is Also Key Official in Central Propaganda Department

On November 14th, the official website of China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism reported that Sun Yeli (孙业礼) became the Party Secretary of China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Sun is expected to become the head of the Ministry as well. Sun also serves as the Deputy Minister of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) Central Propaganda Department.

The CCP’s decision to give Sun this joint appointment will help ensure that China’s cultural and tourism work serves the party’s needs. The Ministry’s primary responsibility is to “implement the party’s policy on cultural work,” and its secondary responsibilities include “coordinating the development of cultural and tourism industries.”

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism was formed through the integration of the Ministry of Culture and the National Tourism Administration in 2018.  Before Sun Yeli, the two prior Ministers of Culture and Tourism – -Luo Shugang (雒树刚) and Hu Heping (胡和平) — also served as high-ranking officials in the CCP’s Central Propaganda Department.

Source: Epoch Times, November 14, 2023
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/11/14/n14116083.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics