Information/Technology - 80. page

The General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP), the Chinese government agency overseeing news media, will carry out a nationwide “100-Day Action” from April 15 to July 25 to “review and rectify the order of news reporters’ stations and centers.” The campaign aims to “ban reporter stations that are set up illegally, suspend stations that break the rules, rectify stations that are not managed by the standard, re-register all reporter stations across the nation, provide assurance for normal interview activities, and put the management of reporter stations in good order.”

Source: Xinhua, March 24, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-03/24/c_121228460.htm

Yang Jian, an official with the Anhui Broadcast and Television authorities admitted, "In Anhui, privately operated illegal television stations do exist. The [Broadcast and Television] Bureau will increase its efforts to crack down on these illegal television stations.” Yang’s remarks were made in response to Internet blogs which state there are over 1,000 such unregistered TV stations. Yang denied that the number was that high. Either individuals or groups operate these unregistered TV stations. Due to their high degree of mobility and low start-up cost, it is difficult to detect them and crack down. These TV stations primarily broadcast entertainment programs, including movies and local performing arts. Their main source of revenue is from advertising.

Source: People’s Daily, March 22, 2011
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/14562/14199499.html

Liu Bingjie, Director of the General Administration of Press and Publication, the government regulator of news media and publications, suggested in an interview that the industry is going through “major reform, major development, major changes, and a major leap forward.” Liu revealed that China is assembling an “aircraft carrier,” meaning a gigantic state corporation, with capital of 20 billion yuan (US$3 billion) and (annual) income of 20 billion yuan (US$3 billion). It will be launched in a couple of years.

Source: People’s Daily, March 9, 2011
http://2011lianghui.people.com.cn/GB/215096/14101912.html

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

An article appearing on Study Times, the official newspaper of the CCP Central Party School, suggested measures for the authorities to use to direct public opinion on the Internet: 1) Release the official voice at the earliest time so as to guide public opinion. 2) For officials: act as ordinary users and participate in cyber communications. 3) Build a “politically strong” “news propaganda troop” – bloggers, twitters, commentators – who will be the opinion leaders in the online world. At the same time, the author suggested that it is imperative for the government to “collect, monitor, analyze, access, and take advantage of Internet public opinion.”

Source: Study Times, March 14, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/03/14/16/16_32.htm

The recently published “Blue Book: The 2010 Research Report on Chinese Culture’s Soft Power” focuses on the point that China’s “new media” are becoming new distribution channels for the nation’s soft power. The Blue Book suggests that the distribution environment and methods for promoting the national image and China’s core values have changed in the 21st century. Compared to the traditional one-way media such as TV, the radio, and newspapers, the new media promote two-way communication. It is considered a new development in the field of public diplomacy. The report calls for advancing a Chinese new media platform in order to export Chinese values and political views and to improve China’s international status.

Source: Xinhua, February 18, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-02/18/c_121098302.htm

Global Times, a branch of the Chinese state news, People’s Daily, recently published an editorial in response to U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s speech on Internet freedom. The editorial blamed the U.S. for using the Internet to push a Cold War mentality, calling it a U.S. “strategy of twenty-year-old selfishness.” The author expressed the belief that China cannot remove the “Great Firewall” and that the Chinese government has to respond to national security threats from the U.S. by breaking away from the U.S. dominated Internet. For example, in China, Baidu is used instead of Google. The editorial warned that the Chinese Internet population exceeds the total U.S. population. Thus the U.S. dominance of the Internet may one day change. The author ended the article by saying, “The U.S. cannot use the Internet to turn China into the Middle East.”

Source: Global Times, February 17, 2011
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/roll/2011-02/1503066.html

The chief designer of the Chinese "Shen Zhou" spacecraft recently disclosed that China intends to conduct over 20 space launches in 2011, compared to 15 in 2010. The missions include its first target spacecraft “Tian Gong No. 1,” the “Shen Zhou No. 8” space shuttle, as well as the first unmanned space docking test. In November, China’s first Mars exploration space probe is to be sent by Russian carrier rocket.

China’s five-year (2011-2015) space plan focuses on space detection, earth observation, information utilization, and breakthroughs in space technology and applications. The year 2020 will see the accomplishment of the exploration of the Moon and Mars, the establishment of a high resolution earth observation system, and a global positioning system.

Source: Xinhua, March 2, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-03/02/c_121137814.htm