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China Tightened Control over Celebrity Online Information
Well-known Chinese news site NetEase (NASDAQ: NTES) recently reported that China’s Central Cyberspace Administration just issued an administrative notice on regulating entertainment celebrities’ online information. The key points of the notice were: Celebrity online information must present “positive values” and must promote “socialist core values.” The government will establish a “negative list” of the behaviors that are not allowed online. Key link collections, such as top search lists, in principle, can only present one information piece about a celebrity in the collection at a time. The celebrity’s daily life, schedule, family members and personal interests cannot be presented in critical information display spots. These spots include recommended hot news, celebrity account names, descriptions and avatars. These cannot be used for negative information distribution. “Disgraced” celebrities will be banned across the network, The government will “closely monitor” online public opinion and verify the authenticity of the celebrity accounts.
Source: NetEase, November 23, 2021
https://www.163.com/dy/article/GPGC6OPI0512DU6N.html
The CCP Denies Rights to Falun Gong Practitioners’ Family Members
Since July 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been persecuting Falun Gong, an ancient mind-body exercise in the Buddhist school. The CCP has been using rejection from employment and from schooling to force Falun Gong practitioners to give up their belief. Epoch Times reported that a recent practice has developed to discriminate against practitioners’ family members.
Some job postings state specifically that direct family members of Falun Gong practitioners will not be hired. “Direct family members” in China refers to a spouse, parents or parents-in-law, grandparents, children, and grandchildren.
The article listed several cases in Xinjiang, Yunnan, Hebei, Jilin, and Guangdong Province in which direct family members were implicated.
The article also reported that authorities in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province told a Falun Gong practitioner that his child would not be allowed to go to college if his parents or grandparents practiced Falun Gong. The authorities in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province also said that they would not let a child move up to the next grade if any of his family members practiced Falun Gong.
Source: Epoch Times, October 26, 2021
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/10/26/n13330731.htm
UDN: Hong Kong Refused to Renew another Foreign Reporter’s Visa
United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, recently reported that, under the new Hong Kong National Security Law, the Hong Kong government refused to renew another foreign reporter’s work visa. The British magazine The Economist issued a statement on November 12, saying that Hong Kong government refused to renew the work visa of Sue-Lin Wong, a journalist based in Hong Kong. Zanny Minton Beddoes, the editor-in-chief of the magazine, also said, “We regret the decision of the Hong Kong authorities to refuse to renew the visa, and the authorities have not given a reason.” He is proud of Wong’s reports and calls on the Hong Kong government to maintain access to foreign media, which is critical to Hong Kong’s status as an international city. Wong’s reporting focused on social and political news in China and Hong Kong. Before joining The Economist, she was a reporter for the Financial Times and Reuters. The Hong Kong Immigration Department said it does not comment on individual cases. Since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law last year, the Hong Kong government has rejected the work visas of many foreign journalists, including the Irish reporter Aaron McNicholas from the English media The Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP), and Chris Buckley, a reporter from The New York Times. The government did not give the reason for the refusal.
Source: UDN, November 13, 2021
https://udn.com/news/story/7331/5888787
Pandemic: COVID Has Spread to 21 Provinces in China
On November 5, Beijing reported that COVID-19 had spread to 20 provinces. It also identified four high risk areas, which are in Beijing; Shijiazhang City, Hebei Province; Alashan League, Inner Mongolia; and Heihe City, Heilongjiang Province, respectively.
On November 11, Jilin Province reported an infection case. It thus became the 21st province in this recent round to have COVID cases .
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is known for hiding the details about the actual spread of COVID in China.
Related postings on Chinascope:
- Pandemic: COVID Spread to Xinjiang
- September 22, 2021, Pandemic Report: COVID Spreading in China
- September 15, 2021, Pandemic Report: COVID Spreading in China
Sources:
1. China News Agency, November 5, 2021
https://www.chinanews.com/gn/2021/11-05/9603192.shtml
2. Epoch Times, November 10, 2021
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/11/10/n13366469.htm
Ten Explosions in One Week in China
Recently the Chinese media reported that ten explosions occurred in China in the period from October 21 to 27.
- October 21: Shenyang City, Liaoning Province had an explosion that impacted 2,000 households in the neighborhood. (See Chinascope briefing: A Huge Explosion in Shenyang)
- October 22: A chemical plant in the Alashan League High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Inner Mongolia, exploded in the middle of the night.
- October 24: There was an explosion on the top floor of a residential building in Dalian City, Liaoning Province.
- October 24: A lab at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Jiangsu Province, had an explosion.
- October 25: An explosion occurred on the food vendor street outside the Huangdao Campus of Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qiangdao, Shandong Province. The whole street was burned out.
- October 26: An explosion occurred at Shandong Ding Ding Chemical Technology Co. in Zibo City, Shandong Province.
- October 26: An explosion occurred in a residential building in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province.
- October 26: Nine fishing boats caught on fire in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province.
- October 27: A building under construction in Tianjin City was caught on fire.
- October 27: A fire broke out at a factory building and the hotel next to it in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province.
Political commentators expressed the thought that it was abnormal to see so many explosions or even the intensified reporting on the explosions, as the Chinese Communist Party tends to filter out negative news to portray a “stable” society.
Source: Epoch Times, October 31, 2021
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/10/31/n13342305.htm
Does Ruili City Need Help?
Ruili City in Yunnan Province is a key port city bordering Myanmar in southwest China. It has been locked down five times since last year due to Covid. The former Deputy Mayor Dai Rongli recently posted an article on the Internet stating that Ruili residents have suffered severely. He appealed to the government to provide aid to the city and its people.
This article spread widely among Chinese netizens.
The current Ruili Mayor Shang Labian responded that the article was only one person’s opinion and it used out-of-date data. He said that Ruili does not need support from other places. (Note: Communist Officials generally do not want negative exposure.)
Mao Xiao, the Party Secretary of Ruili’s Party Committee also said that the higher-level government has already provided them with a lot of support.
Many netizens from Ruili also posted comments on the Internet, stating, for example, “The mayor does not need help but I need help.”
Sources:
1. Lianhe Zaobao, October 29, 2021
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china/story20211029-1208156
2. Epoch Times, November 2, 2021
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/11/2/n13347206.htm
A Huge Explosion in Shenyang
On the morning of October 21, there was a huge explosion on the first floor of a building in Shenyang, a northeastern city in China. Videos posted on the Internet showed a mushroom cloud rose to six stories high. Everything, including the side walls, were all blasted off from the lower floors, with only the steel and concrete remaining. A bus driving by at that moment was pushed 10 meters away. Only the bus frame was left. National Business Daily reported this explosion impacted and ruined a total of 99 buildings.
The Latest official report said 5 people died and 47 were injured. The authorities said it was caused by a gap in a pipeline involved in pipeline work.
People questioned whether the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hid the actual number of injuries and the amount of the damage, given the miserable scenes of the aftermath.
Epoch Times also pointed out that, whether it is a coincidence or there are some reasons, there have been three explosions in China so far this year. All of them happened within the month before a major political event took place. The first one was on February 23. A restaurant in Beijing exploded. It was within one kilometer (0.6 miles) of Zhongnanhai which is where the top officials live. The explosion caused the building to collapse and seven people were injured. It was a month before the National People’s Congress conference in Beijing.
The second one was at Shiyan City, Hubei Province, in June. The CCP reported 25 deaths and 138 injuries. It was right before the CCP’s anniversary on July 1.
The Shenyang explosion is the third of the three explosions. It occurred within 20 days of the CCP’s 19th Congress Sixth Plenary meeting on November 8.
Right after the second explosion, the authorities reported the case of the rape of Wu Yifan (Kris Wu), a famous movie star and singer. For the third explosion, the authorities immediately reported Li Yundi for hiring a prostitute. Li is a pianist and in China, he is as famous as Lang Lang. These entertainment stars’ news became the hot topics that distracted people from focusing on the explosions.
Sources:
1. Epoch Times, October 22, 2021
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/10/22/n13323071.htm
2. National Business Daily, October 24, 2021
https://m.nbd.com.cn/articles/2021-10-24/1958549.html