Social Stability - 89. page

BBC reported that Tencent, the Chinese technology giant, responded to the national trend of combating online game addiction and will implement a strict new regulation to identify young game players. Starting in mid-September, Tencent will require players of “King of Glory” to register in their system with their real names, which will tie them to the database that the Public Security Bureau maintains. The system has the ability to identify the young players and limit their play time. Tencent published a notice which stated that it will limit the play time for children less than 12 to one hour and children 13 to 18 will be limited to two hours. Their system will make it easier to identify younger players more accurately so they can “better guide younger players to play games sensibly.” This move sets a precedent in the world’s largest gaming market.

“King of Glory” is a popular competitive game based on Chinese historical figures. The game is tailored to the mobile platform, which greatly increases its popularity as many young players don’t have a game controller or a personal computer at home. The game program is free for players to download, but the player needs to pay to upgrade the characters or to upgrade the level of difficulty of the game. China’s official media People’s Daily criticized the game last year, saying the game is addictive like poison. Xi Jinping also mentioned that these type of games cause damage to children’s vision. Recently, after it was sold on the market, another online game that Tencent launched, “Monster Hunter World,” was banned for unknown reasons. Chinese officials have previously banned a number of online games for their violent, drug, or sexual contents.

Source: BBC, September 7, 2018
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-45443871

China recently launched a web platform, dedicated to clarifying and battling online rumors. Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping asked to build a bright and clear cyberspace.

The platform (http://www.piyao.org.cn/) encourages netizens to report online rumors. It is also connected with Weibo and WeChat platforms by setting up corresponding accounts. Weibo is the Chinese counterpart of a Twitter like service, while WeChat is a popular Chinese multi-purpose messaging, social media, and mobile payment app.

The official media said that the campaigns to battle rumors are based upon the official news media, which reports the “truth facts.”

An officially released video trailer said that rumors “violate individual freedom, trigger social fears, affect the stock market, and impact the economy.” “The rumors also blaspheme revolutionary heroes.”

China has stepped up judicial punishment for spreading rumors, with the highest penalty being up to seven years in prison. Earlier, the officials warned that, if 5,000 netizens read a rumor and reposted it more than 500 times, there would also be the danger of a jail term.

The platform is a direct subsidiary of the state cyber regulating authority and is connected with the official Xinhua News Agency. It has consolidated more than 40 online similar websites to investigate and suppress rumors more effectively and to search for the source of rumors or manufacturers of false information more effectively.

Source: Radio France International, August 30, 2018
http://rfi.my/33dc.T

The recent vaccine case dealt a heavy blow to the public’s confidence in Chinese hospitals. In a new development, a hospital recently reported that several children have been injected with expired physiological saline solution.

A child in Jiangxi province was sent to a local hospital due to physical discomfort. The hospital administered him with an intravenous injection. Accidentally, the parents found out that the physiological saline the hospital had injected had expired. The effective period of the solution was until July. Further investigation revealed that more than 30 bottles of physiological saline in the hospital’s pediatrics department are yet un-used. The hospital claimed it was “workplace negligence.”

Another parent, finding out that his child was also injected with expired saline solution, complained to the hospital about the issue. Surprisingly, the hospital, which is not the same as the previous one, responded that it is not a problem.

Although the hospital personnel were swiftly punished, the scandals, breaking out one after another, have resulted in the Chinese people being furious. People have vented their anger on the Internet:

“Where is their conscience? Or is it this their attitude toward other people’s kids?”

“If the expired drug is fine, then inject these unscrupulous hospital personnel with it every day.”

“Absolutely not workplace negligence. The near-expiration and expired medicine is cheap and the commission on sale is, simply, appealing.”

Source: Liberty Times, August 26, 2018
http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/2531334

The Paper reported that the China Center for Animal Health and Epidemiology confirmed that the African swine fever virus was recently found among pigs on a farm in Haizhou district, Lian Yungang City, Jiangsu Province. Since August 15, 615 pigs have been affected and 88 have died. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs sent a team to Jiangsu Haizhou District after the outbreak and started the emergency response system to prohibit all pigs and susceptible animals and products from entering or leaving the blockaded site. According to the article, at present, the epidemic has been effectively contained.

Source: The Paper, August 19, 2018
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2361470

RFA reported that on August 16, Guizhou University dismissed a college professor from its School of Economics claiming that the professor has been “making false political statements” for a period of time. On the termination statement, the university asserted that the professor often told the class about content that was not related to the course, published sensitive comments on the Internet, and had a bad influence on the school and society. The Professor told RFA that all he had been saying during his lectures was the truth and that should not have a negative impact on society. He thought the University was not happy with him because he criticized the government, but he will appeal his case. According to RFA, this professor published an article criticizing the government for paying 20 million yuan (US$2.92 million) a year to support party officials. The burden of the cost to society of paying these officials could be as much as 20 trillion yuan (US$2.92 trillion) a year. He also reported that the school leaders were suspected of plagiarism.

Source: Radio Free Asia, August 17, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/professor-08172018092321.html

163.com recently posted a video program under its military segment titled, “If a war were to start, how much of your savings would you be willing to donate to the motherland?” In the video it stated that every time after a war was over, the U.S. economy didn’t collapse but became stronger because the American people actively donated money and supplies during the war and their sons and daughters actively joined the military. The video then posed the following question: “Even though China was able to build an aircraft carrier . . . the problem is that China has a large population. Will that be a driving force or a source of pressure for our national policy? If at that time there was shortage of national financing during a war, would you be willing to donate money and supplies like the Americans have done?” This video has currently been taken down and the responses that were posted were deleted. Epoch Times published a list of screen shots of the responses and below is the translation of some of the responses:
1. Our motherland is so wealthy. Why do you still need me to donate? The corrupt officials are involved in hundreds of millions of funds from corruption and I couldn’t even come up with the down payment for a house.
2. Who would we have the war against and why? Is it for high housing prices, medical expenses, education or a different retirement system?
3. For sure I will donate US$10,000 to the U.S. As for other people, let those people who are among the elite or the special power class or the second generation of the rich and powerful people take care of it. We, the bottom class, have no idea.
4. If we won the war, housing prices would double, earning would be cut in half; if we lost the war, housing prices would be reduced by 80 percent and salaries would double. You decide whether to donate or not to donate.
5. I can’t even afford a loan for housing. Where would I get the money for a donation?
6. I am not qualified to enjoy any benefits. I would be even less qualified if I were to donate. Don’t count on me.
7. What donation? I wish that day would have arrived sooner.
6. Agree! I am willing to be an informant for the U.S. military.
7. I would donate US$1,000 to the U.S. even if I had to sell what I have.
8. Everyone is responsible for the fate of the nation. If the nation is prosperous, you claim the ownership; if the nation is dying, we, the little people, should take the responsibility?
9. We are not the umbrella. When it rains, you bring us out. When it is sunny, you leave us in the corner. If there was a war, those who receive special treatment should be in the front and the public servants should pick up the cost.
10. Looks like everyone gets the point now. I feel relieved.

Source: Epoch Times, August 13, 2018
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/18/8/13/n10635467.htm

Wang Zuo’an, deputy chief of the Chinese Communist Party’s Department of United Front Work and director of the State Administration of Religious Affairs (SARA), published an article in the official Qiushi magazine, asserting that foreign forces are not allowed to dominate China’s religious affairs; he called for “Sinicization.”

The article stated that there is no affiliation between Chinese religions and foreign religions. Chinese religious groups and religious affairs are not subject to foreign influence. “When dealing with religious relations, one must uphold the leadership of the Communist Party, insist on the separation of church and state, and make sure religion must not be involved in administrative, judicial, and educational functions.” “It is necessary to persist in resisting foreign forces that use religion as a means of infiltration.”

According to the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News), by the end of this month, all Catholic parishes in China must submit a five-year plan to the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA) and the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCCC) and report on the work of “Sinicization.” The CPCA and the BCCCC also drafted a five-year national work plan with the objective of accepting the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. All measures of “Sinicization” ought to be under the leadership and supervision of the CPCA and the BCCCC. UCA News expressed the belief that the plan and measures are intended to control and deal with opposition from nonconforming Catholic followers in China.

Source: Radio Free Asia, August 19, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/religion-08192018101150.html?encoding=traditional

In July, the Student Association of Sun Yat-Sen University, one of the best universities in southern China, issued an “Announcement of the Appointment of Cadres for the 2018-2019 Academic Year.” Among the nearly 200 positions, there were 23 secretarial organizations, 12 functional departments, and 144 working offices. In addition to the sheer size of the student union, the school’s announcements mimicked the rankings of the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese government officials, such as “ministerial level” and “deputy ministerial level.” This invited ridicule from many netizens. An example of some online posts are below:

A. It is not a naive imitation. It is the quintessence of the real society.

B. Cultivating officialdom worship at a young age. This is truly great.

C.  … haven’t learned much knowledge, but perfectly grasped the bureaucratic stuff!

D. When administrative power can so easily infiltrate into student organizations, one can imagine how full of administrative stuff their daily operations must be.

On August 17, the Chinese Education Daily newspaper carried an opinion article that criticized this phenomenon. “On the campus, young students are keen on inter-personal relationships, playing the bureaucratic jargon, and vying to be a student cadre. This is a revelation that a few young people have the mentality of officialdom worship, that they are so skilled at calculation that they pursue an official position, and that they have an incorrect understanding of power.”

Source: Education Daily, August 17, 2018
http://www.jyb.cn/zgjyb/201808/t20180817_1193645.html