In the time before the celebration of National Day, China’s Golden Shield Internet blockade project has become stricter than ever before. Lately, many Chinese Internet users, who have been utilizing software developed by the Global Internet Freedom Consortium to access overseas Internet sites, are complaining about difficulties in making connections.
Source: Secret China, September 17, 2009
http://www.secretchina.com/news/311166.html
The Tianjin government held the 2nd Overseas Chinese Media Conference on September 15, 2009. Over 20 overseas Chinese media attended the conference. Ha Wenlong, Director of the Tianjin Overseas Chinese Affairs Office said, “Currently there are more than 500 Chinese-language media around the world. They transmit information, keep in contact with overseas Chinese, build up Chinese sentiments and have played an important role, especially when it comes to today’s world economic integration process and the process of raising the Chinese voice throughout the world.” The Xinhua report states that domestic and overseas Chinese media “reached a common understanding to deepen cooperation and join hands in accepting the challenge.”
Source: Xinhua, September 15, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-09/15/content_12057814.htm
A Website alleging to represent the post-90s (Ed – people born in the 1990s) declared that this group of people will “black out” all antirevolutionary websites inside and outside of China, as their gift for the 60th anniversary of the communist region in China, according to the Global Times. The declaration said that the post-90s are also patriots and there are many forms of patriotism. They want to change people’s perception that the post-90s advocate individualism, are selfish and aren’t loyal to their country. They want to define “Hacker” with a positive meaning.
Source: Global Times, September 9, 2009
http://china.huanqiu.com/roll/2009-09/571386.html
Xinhua reported recently that the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) was undergoing a major operation to hit “lowbrow” Internet based games. There have been more than 200 games investigated since June. Among them, 45 unauthorized foreign games such as America 1930 were closed down.
GAPP believes the main issues are: (1) some gaming companies carry foreign games without permission; (2) some domestic games did not register with the authorities; (3) some games added porno, gambling and violent content after registration; (4) some did not set up a government required anti-addiction control system; (5) some games used lowbrow language for marketing.
Source: Xinhua, August 31, 1009.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-08/31/content_11972262.htm
Chen Zhonghua, assistant director of the Chinese Society of Organ Transplantation recently disclosed that China has 1.5 million liver and kidney patients waiting for organ transplants every year; however, there were only 130 deceased citizens who donated organs from 2003 to May of 2009.
Chen said China conducts 11,000 organ transplantation surgeries every year, out of which less than 30 of those are donations from deceased Chinese citizens. He said organ donation in the US for the first half of the year has already reached 2,304. There is a need to increase the organ donation volumes in China.
The China Organ Donation and Transplantation Cooperation Project plans to have a conference in Shanghai in September to discuss building an organ donation system, setting up testing units, regulating and increasing live organ transplants, and other related issues.
Source: China News, August, 23, 2009
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/jk/news/2009/08-23/1830388.shtml
China’s Chang’e-1 lunar probe has beamed back over a year of technical data about the moon. Given the success of this probe, China plans to Launch Chang’e-2 lunar probe satellite before 2011, according to the China News Agency. Chang’e-2 is almost identical to Chang’e-1. The difference in mission is that Chang’e-2 will circulate at 100 km above the moon’s surface, instead of the 200 km by Chang’e-1.
The vital mission for Chang’e-2 is to have a “soft landing” on the moon and to set up anything necessary for China’s planned Chang’e-3 moon landing. The design for Chang’e-3 has been completed and a model of it should be ready by the end of 2009. China plans its first moon “soft landing” in 2012 or 2013. It will collect lunar samples, which will be brought back by a vehicle in 2018.
Source: China News Agency, August 3, 2009
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gj/news/2009/08-03/1802423.shtml
Information Network of Humanities and Social Science in Chinese Universities (SINOSS), under the guidance of the Social Science Research and Ideological Work Department of the Ministry of Education, published a notice issued by the Ministry of Education on how to apply for the research project on “The Popularization of Marxism in Contemporary China”.
The notice said that the purpose of the project is to assist the promotion of socialist theory with Chinese characteristics and carry out the work of “The Popularization of Marxism in Contemporary China” which was a strategic direction introduced at the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.
The notice limited the applicants to colleges and universities in China, which can select research topics from a pre-defined list. The applicants will receive 80,000-100,000 yuan for a 1-2 year (type A) research program or 30,000-50,000 yuan for a one year (type B) research program.
Source: SINOSS, February 21, 2009
http://www.sinoss.net/webgate/CmdEduFileDetail?ef_id=625
The Chinese Language Council International, also known as Hanban, recently set up a Confucius Institute in the University of New South Wales in Australia. Other universities in Australia that have Confucius Institutes include the University of West Australia and Sydney University. The next potential one to set up a Confucius Institute is the University of Wollongong, which is in discussion with a university in Beijing.
At the end of April 2009, the Chinese Language Council International had established 326 Confucius Institutes in 81 countries around the world.
Source: Central United Front Work Department of Chinese Communist Party, August 12, 2009 http://www.zytzb.org.cn/zytzbwz/newscenter/hlkd08/200908/t20090812_568788.htm