Chinascope – Page 220

Editors Resigned to Protest Scientific Journal Publishing Unethical Papers from China

Eight out of the 25 board members of the scientific journal, “Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine,” resigned recently to protest the journal’s publishing many articles that Chinese authors had written and which could lead to unethical or discriminating DNA profiling. The journal is published by Wiley, a world premier scientific publisher based in New Jersey.

Yves Moreau, a bio-information expert at the University of Leuven in Belgium found that, earlier this year, the journal published 18 papers with ethical issues. Some of the papers described genetic differences between ethnic groups, which the Chinese police could use for DNA profiling. Other papers relied on samples that Moreau suspected were taken without proper consent. Beijing wants to build a genetic library for all of the 700 million males in China and thus has collected DNA from all males, some with people’s consent and some by force.

In March, Moreau raised the issue to Suzanne Hart, the journal’s editor-in-chief. After not getting a meaningful answer, he raised the issue to the full board in June. Some board members also inquired of Suzanne Hart and eventually, eight out of the 25 board members resigned in protest.

Sources:
1. Radio Free Asia, August 7, 2021
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/9-08072021152536.html
2. The Intercept, August 4, 2021
https://theintercept.com/2021/08/04/dna-profiling-forensic-genetics-journal-resignations-china/

Briefings | | August 12, 2021 | Information/Technology

“Xi Jinping Thoughts” A Required Course in Shanghai Elementary and Secondary Schools

On August 3, the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission issued the “Shanghai Elementary and Secondary School Curriculum Plan for the 2021 School Year.” The Plan specifies that the elementary school version of “Xi Jinping’s Thoughts on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” will be taught in the first semester of the 3rd and the 5th grades. The middle school version will be taught in the third semester of junior high school; and the high school version will be taught in the first semester of senior high school. The course is mandatory. Each course is to be taught for one hour per week.

The notice emphasized that the city’s primary and secondary schools should not use the original or modified version of foreign teaching materials without getting approval from the city’s educational authorities. At the same time, the notice requires that the “revolutionary culture and the socialist culture” be incorporated into the whole process of primary and secondary education.

Source: Central News Agency, August 7, 2021
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202108070070.aspx

Briefings | | August 11, 2021 | Government/Politics

CCP’s Central Propaganda Department Launches Campaign against Fake News

The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) is China’s government agency in charge of news media and all publication platforms. On August 3, SAPPRFT published an article reporting that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) Central Propaganda Department recently held a teleconference on launching a special campaign against news extortion and fake news. The special campaign includes a focus on cracking down on news agencies and their personnel who use “illegal news activities, online communication platforms, public accounts that use illegal news activities, and social organizations and individuals who use illegal news activities.”

Ten CCP and government agencies, including the Central Propaganda Department, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the State Administration of Taxation, the State Administration of Market Supervision, SAPPRFT, and the All-China Journalists Association jointly organized he campaign.

Political scientist Chen Daoyin told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that the campaign is related to the upcoming politically sensitive period before the 20th CCP National Congress next year. “The Politburo believes that the current domestic and international situation is complicated and severe, and that the economy has yet recovered and become balanced. In addition, this is a sensitive period before the 20th National Congress. It is the CCP’s usual practice to eliminate all the noises and ensure that only the voice of the Party is heard, so as to achieve unity of thought and the authority of the Party.”

Source: Central News Agency, August 5, 2021
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202108050263.aspx

Briefings | | August 11, 2021 | Government/Politics

Chinese Think Tank Report Finds Fault with U.S. Covid-19 Response

On August 9, three Chinese think tanks published a report titled, “‘America Ranked First’?! The Truth about America’s fight against COVID-19.” The three think tanks were The Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China, and the Taihe Institute and Intellisia Institute – in Beijing.

The report was developed into five chapters as follows: “For partisan competitions, not for people’s lives,” “Anti-science and against common-sense measures,” “System failures result in the pandemic being difficult to control,” “The pandemic exacerbated the social gap,” and “The Willful destruction of global resistance to the pandemic.”

The report criticized the U.S. response in several areas, including political infighting, monetary policy, hatred against Asians, “allowing” the spread of the virus, and the “creation” of international conflicts.

The portion ‘America Ranked First’ refers to Bloomberg’s June 28 report. “The U.S.’s Stunning Turnaround in the Pandemic,” which claimed that the U.S. has surged to No. 1. in Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking.

The report concluded, that “the U.S. well deserves to be called the world’s No.1 anti-pandemic failure, the world’s No. 1 country of political blaming, the world’s No. 1 country of virus spreading, the world’s No. 1 country of political division, the world’s No. 1 country of abusive currency issuance, the world’s No. 1 country of turmoil during the pandemic period, the world’s No. 1 country of disinformation, and the world’s No. 1 country of origin for tracing terrorism.”

Source: China Central Television, August 9, 2021
http://m.news.cctv.com/2021/08/09/ARTIsfOioJpzCdUoxLzKie9V210809.shtml

Briefings | | August 11, 2021 | US-China Relations

Zoom to Pay $85 Million to Users after Lying about Privacy

Well-known Chinese news site Sina (NASDAQ: SINA) recently reported that popular video conferencing provider Zoom Video Communications will have to pay $85 million to its users as part of the settlement of a class-action lawsuit. The company was accused of lying about offering end-to-end encryption on its services; as well as providing user data to Facebook and Google without permission. This came nine months after Zoom agreed to security improvements and a “prohibition on privacy and security misrepresentations” in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. However, the FTC settlement didn’t include compensation for users. In addition to payments, Zoom agreed to over a dozen major changes to its practices. Zoom later issued a statement promising, “The privacy and security of our users are top priorities for Zoom.” Back in 2020, it was revealed that Zoom did not offer end-to-end encryption despite claiming to do so. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic forced more people to work from home, Zoom’s user base has increased fivefold. In April 2021, the company had 497,000 customers with more than 10 employees, compared to only 81,900 in January 2020. Zoom said that, as more people get vaccinated and return to work, its growth may slow down.

Source: Sina, August 2, 2021
https://finance.sina.com.cn/tech/2021-08-02/doc-ikqciyzk8970558.shtml

Briefings | | August 9, 2021 | Information/Technology

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.”

The CCP’s Performing Arts Troupes in the U.S.

Editors Resigned to Protest Scientific Journal Publishing Unethical Papers from China

“Xi Jinping Thoughts” A Required Course in Shanghai Elementary and Secondary Schools

CCP’s Central Propaganda Department Launches Campaign against Fake News

Chinese Think Tank Report Finds Fault with U.S. Covid-19 Response

Zoom to Pay $85 Million to Users after Lying about Privacy

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