Chinascope – Page 1220

China Unyielding in its Internet Censorship

UUCall, the self-claimed #1 provider of IP phone service in China, went suddenly dead on October 9, 2009 and has not been revived. The company’s Website was also unavailable. UUCall recorded on Baidu that it was closed down on government orders. It was directed to temporarily stop its services to allow government inspection. Insiders suggest that the government discovered that some individuals were using the IP phones to pass on Xinjiang separatist messages.

Also, Google Docs, a document sharing service provided by Google, was suspended in China recently. Most of the people use it for work-related documents. Google Docs utilizes https protocol for file transferring. China’s Great Firewall (GFW) censorship engine is unable to monitor or apply its censorship to this protocol. Therefore, China blocked Google Docs.

Sources:
1. Radio Free Asia, October 12, 2009
http://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/China_internet-10122009112607.html?encoding=simplified
2. Radio Free Asia, October 13, 2009
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/wangluo-10132009095407.html

Briefings | | October 15, 2009 | Information/Technology

International Herald Leader: China Distrusted for Its Work in Africa

The International Herald Leader, a newspaper under the auspices of Xinhua, published a commentary on October 13, 2009, debunking the Western claim that China practices “neocolonialism in Africa because of its need for natural resources.”

The article stated that the Western media portrays China as a new colonialist, a “destroyer” (using cheap made-in-China goods and workers flown from China to destroy Africa’s traditional economy), and a spreader of hatred to encourage and support ethnic group cleansing. Additionally, it accused Western companies of colluding with local rebel groups because of wanting to profiteer from natural resources and block China from entering the market. It declared that China’s presence in Africa brings economic growth to Africa, which unfortunately takes years for people to realize.

According to a report from the Ministry of Commerce, there are more than 800 Chinese companies and nearly 1 million Chinese workers in Africa. They are mainly employed in infrastructure industries, such as construction and oil extraction.

Source: International Herald Leader, October 13, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2009-10/13/content_12221552.htm

Briefings | | October 15, 2009 | Geo-Strategic Trend

GAPP: Foreign Investment in Net Games Banned

The Chinese General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) recently announced regulations on Internet games. All types of foreign investments are banned in this market. The ban includes indirect control or investment into domestic companies. Domestic companies importing games are also regulated. Service providers are required to submit the games to the authorities for approval first.

Source: Xinhua, October 10, 2009.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2009-10/10/content_12206841.htm

Briefings | | October 14, 2009 | Information/Technology

New Media Booming in China

College students watched the online broadcast of the October 1 parade while exchanging instant messages with friends. The online broadcast recorded 500 million visits that day and the simultaneous viewers reached 2.62 million. This reflects the boom of new Internet based media. Another major branch of new media is the cell phone. China currently has 680 million cell phone users which include 155 million users who go online with their phones. Additionally, digital cable is widely spreading in cities. It’s becoming a new interactive way of communication. New Media are significantly impacting people’s lives and are becoming an important channel for citizens to speak their voices.

Source: Xinhua, October 9, 2009.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2009-10/09/content_12200850.htm

Briefings | | October 14, 2009 | Economy/Resources

Number of UN Chinese Employees Increases

The number of UN employees from a nation is determined by that nation’s membership fee, membership and population. The number of UN Chinese employees has increased 7 times in the past 24 years with an increasing number of Chinese employees becoming high ranking UN officials. At the same time, more UN employees from other countries are learning Chinese. This past summer, the United Nations worked jointly with Nanjing University to once again open a Chinese language class. About 50 UN employees joined the class.

Source: China Economy Net, September 22, 2009.
http://www.ce.cn/xwzx/gnsz/gdxw/200909/22/t20090922_20065988.shtml

Briefings | | October 14, 2009 | Government/Politics

China and Russia Held their Fifth Energy Talk

On October 11, Vice Prime Minister Wang Qishan held the fifth of the energy talks with Vice Prime Minister Sechin of Russia. The talk was set up ahead of the upcoming fourteenth meeting between the two Prime Ministers of both countries. According to Wang, China and Russia have entered a new era of long term strategic energy cooperation with regard to oil and gas, nuclear and electric power. He hopes to increase cooperation further.

Source: Xinhua, October 11, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-10/11/content_12212267.htm

Briefings | | October 13, 2009 | Economy/Resources

China Published 2009 Culture Blue Book

China recently published its 2009 Culture Blue Book: Report on the Development of Chinese Public Cultural Services.

The "Blue Book" concluded that there were major achievements in the following four public cultural service areas: the nation’s cultural industry spending reached 88.8 billion in 2008; the cultural system and policy were reformed and renovated; cultural soft power improved; cultural relic preservation reached a new level.

Source: People’s Daily, October 11, 2009
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1026/10171912.html

Briefings | | October 13, 2009 | Information/Technology

First Confucius Institute Opened in Greece

On October 8, Athens University of Economics held a grand opening ceremony for the Confucius Institute, a joint program with China’s University of International Business and Economics. This is the first Confucius Institute opened in Greece.

Source: Xinhua, October 9, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2009-10/09/content_12199193.htm

Briefings | | October 13, 2009 | Information/Technology

Xinhua Commentary Series: Spotlight on the U.S. Presidential Election

Wu Guoguang: Xi Jinping’s Reversal of the Course, Will China’s Transition be Peaceful or Marked with Bloodshed?

Cheng Xiaonong: U.S.-China Strategic Relations Have Crystallized

Xinhua Commentaries: “Exposing the Three Major Political Deficits of the U.S.”