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DW Chinese: Global Times Chief Hu Xijin Complained about the Great Firewall

Deutsche Welle Chinese Edition recently reported that Global Times (Huanqiu) Editor in Chief Hu Xijin just posted a complaint on social media Weibo that it has been really hard to get onto the “foreign Internet.” Hu and the Global Times are strong defenders of the Communist Party’s propaganda policies and Internet access control policies. However, they were often given privileges to get outside the Great Firewall to speak for the Party. Hu has been actively posting pro-Mainland messages on twitter for over a year now. It appears he just lost his access to the outside Internet world. China is currently in preparing for the celebration of the Communist government’s 70th anniversary. Internet access controls have been tightened up. Within two hours, Hu’s complaint on Weibo was quickly deleted. Chinese President Xi Jinping recently pointed out that the Chinese internet needs to be “safe and controllable.” China has also been cracking down on VPN providers recently. Hu Xijin also defended the Great Firewall himself when he had an interview with Hong Kong TVB, saying controlling access to outside networks is necessary.

Source: DW Chinese, September 18, 2019
https://bit.ly/2ksBcoB

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology Social Stability

The Epoch Times: As the Third National Parade Rehearsal Takes Place, Beijing Seems to Be in a Security War

As the National Day Parade is getting closer, a number of regions in China have tightened up their security surveillance. This is especially so for Beijing. Cai Qi, the Beijing Municipal Party Committee Secretary, spoke at the Beijing Security Work conference on August 31 and said that the security work in Beijing must be “excellent and perfect, with no loses.”

On September 21 and 22, Beijing held the third National Day Parade practice rehearsal. The authorities blocked the road near Chang An street and shut down the No.5 subway that passes through Chang An street. In addition, starting from the end of August, fruit and kitchen knives were removed from the shelves and petitioners in Beijing were arrested. The authorities imposed strict control over the personnel entering Beijing to ensure that “they are clean.” Hospitals in Beijing were notified that they could only release patients and could not admit patients. They also could not operate if there were non-emergency surgeries. One resident shared a notice he received from the building management office. The notice read as follows: Per the notification from the police, the gas supplies to this residential building will be temporarily shut off from 8 pm on September 30 until the celebration activities are concluded. Residents who live on 8th floor and above and who have a street view of Chang An street must put reflective stickers on their windows. Residents must gather on the ground floor at 8 am on October 1 and are not allowed to return back home until the activities are concluded. For seniors who lack mobility, the police will come to their homes to assist them.

Source: The Epoch Times, September 19, 2019
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/19/9/22/n11538985.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

State Media Promoted Website That Leaks Personal Data of Hong Kong Protesters

A Russian registered website called “HK Leaks” has recently been collecting and posting the personal data of the Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protesters. On September 18, China’s state TV network China Central Television (CCTV) shared the video of the “HK Leaks” website on Weibo and encouraged netizens to forward it to others. In response, the Hong Kong pan-democratic district councilor Sunny Chiu made a posting on Facebook and suggested that the Chinese police were behind the website.

The personal data exposed on the “HK Leaks” website includes each person’s name, personal photo, occupation, birthday, phone number, and Facebook account. Some people’s residential addresses were also posted. In addition to some media reporters, the list also includes members of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, social activists, and even ordinary Hong Kong citizens who participated in the parades. The website called these people “poisonous reports,” “Hong Kong independence thugs,” and “ringleaders that ruin Hong Kong.”

The website also leaves an email address to send tips. The list continues to grow. CCTV posted a video on its Weibo account around 1 p.m. on September 18, saying that “some netizens have created a website called HK Leaks.” They suggesting netizens “take off their masks and act together! Forward!” As of the morning of September 19, the video could not be seen.

Hong Kong pan-democratic district councilor Sunny Chiu shared a story on Facebook. The website showed that a violent thug accused a Hong Kong citizen, who was not a well-known social activist, of participating in illegal gatherings and also published his personal information. Chiu said that, two months ago, the police detained the victim for five hours when he entered mainland China from Hong Kong. During the detainment, the police confiscated the victim’s mobile phone, checked the photos, identified him as a participant in illegal parades, and took away the information on his phone. The victim told Chiu that he had deliberately filled in two errors in the address bar on the confession paper requested by the police. Later, the exact same mistakes showed up on the “HK Leaks” website. The victim believes that it must be the police who have been leaking the personal information of the Hong Kong people.

Source: Central News Agency, September 19, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201909190055.aspx

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

RFA: Beijing Is Upset about a Stage Play in London on Aids Victims in China

The true story of the Henan AIDS Village, which occurred twenty-four years ago, was recently shown in a play on stage in London, England. The play, called The King of Hell’s Palace, was based on the personal story of former Chinese doctor Wang Shuping, who exposed how officials covered up the truth about the AIDS village. Prior to the show’s opening day, the officials found Wang Shuping’s relatives and friends in China and tried to get them to stop the stage play. They also attempted to reach out to Wang’s daughter who lives in the U.S. They told Wang’s relatives that the play must be stopped because it embarrasses the Chinese government and some officials feel that their reputations may be damaged. Wang told RFA that she will not be silent because of intimidation. She has become a U.S. citizen and believes that she has a responsibility to protect vulnerable and helpless people. She hopes that, through the stage play, doctors who are still working in China will be protected from official oppression.

According to the latest U.N. AIDS data, as of 2018, there were 860,000 people known to be infected with HIV in China, of which 720,000 patients have received antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Source: Radio Free Asia, September 9, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/huanjing/rc-09092019115721.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Epoch Times: Security Is the Priority for October 1

October 1, 2019, is the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) taking over China. Also, the 4th Plenary Session of the 19th CCP Central Committee will be held in October. The CCP will hold a military parade and other activities in Tiananmen Square in Beijing; also, members of the CCP Central Committee will go to Beijing to attend the 4th Plenary Session. To ensure the smooth progress of the above activities and meetings, the CCP is placing a high priority on maintaining stability, as if one were facing a formidable enemy.

In an exclusive report, the Epoch Times published a copy of an urgent and confidential document that the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the CCP National Security Commission issued on September 2. The document states that Shanxi Province is part of the overall Beijing defenses and is required to be ready for war and to be on duty 24 hours a day.

Following Shanxi, another province, Shaanxi Province, used the term “wartime” in its official document concerning social stability in October.

Hu Minglang, Deputy Governor of Shaanxi Province and Director of the Public Security Department, issued an order on September 4, 2019, imposing a “wartime” prohibition on alcohol for all Shaanxi public security personnel from September 15 to October 4. All public security organs, police officers, police assistants, and other public security personnel at all levels in Shaanxi Province are prohibited from drinking alcohol for any reason at any time and on any occasion. Violators and their chain of command will be held accountable.

As October 1 is approaching, the CCP has strengthened security from the top down. Starting from the end of August, Beijing entered the “October 1 modus operandi” which mandated the removal of knives such as fruit knives and kitchen knives from shelves in the stores. On the eve of the military parade rehearsal from September 7 to 8, Beijing made massive arrests of people who visited Beijing to seek redress of their grievances that the local governments caused.

Meanwhile, Beijing’s Municipal CCP Secretary Cai Qi spoke on August 31, 2019, at the kickoff of the October 1 security campaign asking Beijing security personnel to be “excellent and perfect, and never lose.” His remark became the headline in the State media, Beijing Youth Daily.

Overseas media observed that, by treating its people as the enemy, it appears that the CCP is not preparing for a celebration, but rather, for a major disaster.

Source: Epoch Times, September 12, 2019
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/19/9/12/n11515358.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics Social Stability

Epoch Times: Xi Ordered “Stand Still”

According to The Epoch Times, after the anti-extradition movement had continued for more than two months in Hong Kong, the CCP’s media repeatedly released the film, “A Large Number of Armed Police Convoys in Shenzhen” to intimidate protesters. On August 14th and 15th, President Trump urged Xi Jinping several times to solve the Hong Kong problem humanely before he would make a deal on tariffs. Thereafter, it is said that Xi Jinping sent  a special agent group to Hong Kong to convey an urgent message of the highest order: “Stand Still.”

An informer said that, since demonstrators occupied the Hong Kong airport, for safety reasons the special agent group flew from Beijing to Shenzhen, and then took special vehicles to Hong Kong. They secretly conveyed the highest order to the Hong Kong Liaison Office of China and the Hong Kong Garrison, as well as the SAR Government. The highest order had been made at the CCP’s annual Beidaihe meeting.

The informer also said that, now that Xi Jinping would not order “sending troops” to Hong Kong, Zhongnanhai had reached a consensus and would temporarily take the strategy of “Standing Still” and “Slowing Down” {Editor’s note: Both are from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War}. As soon as the Zhongnanhai special agent group arrived in Hong Kong, the group began to “work” and conveyed the “Slow Down” strategy about “how to restore order in Hong Kong  ASAP” to “special groups.”

The participants in the 1.7 million people’s rally on the 18th in Hong Kong said that the behavior of the police  had “changed.” This was the first time the police did not shoot and fire tear gas at the demonstrators, which was evidently related to Zhongnanhai’s latest strategy.

Source:
The Epoch Times, August 21, , 2019
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/19/8/20/n11465818.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics Social Stability

Survey Shows Most of the Hong Kong Protesters Are Young and Well Educated

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Lingnan University, the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong Baptist University conducted a study called the “Onsite Survey Findings in Hong Kong’s Anti-Extradition Bill Protests.” The study was published on August 12.

Researchers from the four universities surveyed participants who had been in 12 demonstrations between June 9 and August 4 and found that 54 percent were men and 46 percent were women. These demonstrations included large-scale gatherings, as well as “fluid” and “static” demonstrations. Overall, 77 percent of the 6,688 respondents indicated that they had received a higher level of education and 21 percent had received a secondary education (that is, a high school education). Among the protesters, the proportion of people between 20 and 29 years old was as high as 49 percent, compared to 19 percent who were between 30 and 39. Only 11 percent were under 20 years of age and 16 percent were 40 and above. Half of those who responded (that is, 50 percent) considered themselves to be middle class, while 41 percent considered themselves to be “grassroots commoners.”

When asked why they participated in the demonstration, 87 percent said that they demanded that the Hong Kong SAR government withdraw the Extradition Bill amendments; 95 percent were dissatisfied with the way the police handled the protests, and 92 percent asked for the establishment of an independent investigation committee (to investigate the police and other actions).

Source: Central News Agency, August 14, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201908140361.aspx

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

NTDTV: Hong Kong Policemen Were Taped Replacing Uniforms with the Clothing of Protesters

According to NTDTV, during recent protests in Hong Kong, there were groups of gangsters in white or blue clothing attacking the protesters. Also among the protesters, some individuals were shouting and even acted like criminals. It was suspected that Hong Kong policemen or CCP undercover agents played these roles to make the protests seem to be “out of control” or more “chaotic.” Now, the suspicion has some evidence behind it. Some Hong Kong policemen were videotaped while they gathering in or around their police vehicles. They were taped changing out of their uniforms and into white clothing .

On Sunday evening, August 4th, some Hong Kong people took a video and uploaded it to YouTube. The video showed that, in the parking lot of the Ngau Tau Kok District Police Station, a police van marked “AM7113” on the top had the door open. A group of police officers gathered inside and around the police vehicle. On the left side of the van, several police officers took off their uniforms and replaced them with black or white clothing. During this period, several people in black were returning to the other side of the van.  [Editor’s note: At 0:27 two persons in black clothing with white masks walked to the van. One of them entered the van, while another with a cell-phone in his left hand and a flashlight in his right hand walked away. At 2:11, the same man returned to the van again.].

Another video on Twitter was taken at possibly the same location. It displayed at the end of the same police vehicle [AM7113], that several police officers, while at the back side of the vehicle were replacing their white clothing.

In addition to the AM7113 vehicle, there were still many police cars parked on site. The car numbers that could be seen included AM8052, AM8053, and AM8185. According to public information, the license plate numbers of the Hong Kong government vehicles started mostly with AM, while the police car numbers started with AM6, AM7, AM8, AM98 and AM99. AM7113 belongs to the Tseung Kwan O Police Station.

These videos caused a heated discussion on the network. Some netizens suspected that the police mixed into the demonstrators and that their actions gave the police their excuse for arresting demonstrators.

Sources:
1. NTDTV, August 6, 2019
https://www.ntdtv.com/b5/2019/08/06/a102638845.html
2. YouTube, August 4, 2019

3. Twitter, August 4, 2019

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics Social Stability