Chinascope – Page 308

Stability Control: Internet Bully to Fang Fang Supporters

Fang Fang, a Chinese novelist living in Wuhan, wrote a diary during the Wuhan lock-down. She wanted to publish her diary in Chinese, but no publisher would take it because of political concerns. Then she published it in English as Wuhan Diary. The diary recorded her life and did not have a strong message against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). However, many Chinese, led by the some CCP loyalists, criticized Fang Fang for being a traitor and defaming China.

These people not only bullied Fang Fang, but also any people supporting Fang Fang. Thus Fang Fang called these Internet perpetrators “Internet Hooligans.”

#1: Deutsche Welle reported that in April, several professors supporting Fang Fang were reported for political problems.

Professor Liang Yanping of Hubei University wrote an article to support Wuhan Diary. Fang Fang reposted the article. Some netizens dug out Professor Liang’s past posting on Weibo and claimed that she supported Hong Kong Independence (a bad action in the eyes of the Chinese people). This led to Hubei University’s setting up an investigation group to inquire into her case.

Poet Wang Xiaoni, a retired professor from Hainan University, wrote an article related to Liang Yanping and Fang Fang reposted the article. Then some people targeted Wang and claimed that she supported Taiwan Independence (another totally unacceptable deed to Chinese) and Hong Kong Independence. Hainan University said that they also formed an investigation group to look into her speeches.

The Internet bully also called out other Fang Fang supporters, including Liu Chuan’e, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Hubei University, Tan Banghe, Deputy Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Central China Normal University, and Jing Ya, Professor of Nanchang University. (Deutsche Welle)

#2: Recently, Lao Lishi, a former Olympic Diving Champion, has been running an online store. She received many curses for reposting one of Fang Fang’s Weibo posts. Fang Fang’s Weibo was in remembrance of the death of a nurse from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region who came to Wuhan during the coronavirus pandemic; and her Weibo was just quoting a Xinhua article.

This time, Lao fought back against the Internet bully. She posted, “I was accused of various things because of reposting a Weibo post. Some accused me of lacking education, some accused me of being brain retarded, some accused me of lacking judgment, some accused me of supporting evil, and some accused me of having no conscience. Ha ha, I am very happy because I have not lived the way you like. If I had to live the way you like, I’d rather jump off a ten-meter platform into a pool without water.” (Back China)

World Against The CCP: Filipinos and Peoples from Other Countries Reject the CCP’s Propaganda Song

On April 23, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) posted a song on YouTube with the Filipino name “Lisang Dagat” (meaning “One Ocean,” the song’s Chinese name is “海的那邊”). The song was to show the CCP’s message that Beijing and the Philippines are collaborating on fighting the coronavirus. China’s Ambassador to the Philippines wrote the lyrics, diplomats and singers from both China and the Philippines performed the song.

The 4 minute and 26 seconds Music Video is embedded with many scenes from the CCP’s propaganda such as: that the Philippines were whole-heartedly moved when they received aid from China, including appreciation statements from several of the Philippines’s officials such as President Rodrigo Duterte, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr., Chief Implementer of the National Task Force of COVID-19 Carlito Galvez Jr., and Secretary of Health official Francisco Duque.

However, the Filipino public rejected this CCP’s propaganda since the two countries have had high tension over the South China Sea as both sides have claimed sovereignty over large overlapping territories and Beijing seized islands near the Philippines and expanded them into bigger man-made lands.

Within three days of being posted on YouTube, the song received 100,000 dislikes and only 1,000 likes. Some comments were:

“The West Philippine Sea is ours.”
“This is the most disgusting song I have ever seen.”
“You can buy our politicians but not our sovereignty.”
“Nobody wants to share the same sea with you.”
“This is a total insult to the sovereignty and people of the Philippines.” (SET News)

Then people from other countries joined to “dislike” the song. By early May, the dislike count rose to 200,000. Some comments were:

“I’m a Taiwanese. I think this song is insulting.”
“We support the Philippines. I am from South Korea.”
“I’m a Malaysian. Brothers of the ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia, let us unite against the CCP!”
“I’m from Vietnam, I am here to press the Dislike key!” (Epoch Times)

By May 30, there were 216,000 dislikes and 3,900 likes to the song.

Taiwan Develops Humanitarian Assistance Program for Hong Kong Citizens

As Beijing pushed forward and imposed a new national security law on Hong Kong, Chen Ming-Tong, Minister of the Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), announced on Thursday May 29 that Taiwan developed the Hong Kong Humanitarian Assistance Action Plan in accordance with Article 18 of the “Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macao Affairs.” The plan contains four principles: the government takes the lead; MAC is in charge of cross-agency collaboration; the government establishes and implements a legal entity; funding comes from the government’s budget.

Chen made it clear that Taiwan will adopt a two-part policy and treat Hong Kong citizens and the Hong Kong government separately. It will definitely not treat the Hong Kong people the same as it treats the people from mainland China. “Article 18 is for the Hong Kong people who want to come to Taiwan. For example, if a person is a financial professional or has technological talent and he wants to come to Taiwan, we have an overall plan to make it more convenient. The policy objective includes what happens after people come, how they deal with their resettlement, and how they take care of their lives. All of these are in this action plan.”

Chen added, “As the golden standard of Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy has declined, we must have second thoughts. In the past we regarded Hong Kong as the third (independent) place in politics. Now, with Beijing’s imposition of the National Security Law, then, on the issue of national security, does the Hong Kong government carry out its own will or Beijing’s? Because the national security goal of Beijing is to unify Taiwan and wipe out the Republic of China, we have concerns about our national security. At this point, Article 60 applies to the future situation of the Hong Kong government. We must evaluate and may consider suspending part of the act if it jeopardizes our national security.” Article 60 of the “Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macao Affairs” is a provision to enable Taiwan to respond when “any change occurs in the situation of Hong Kong or Macau such that the implementation of this Act endangers the security of Taiwan.”

Source: Radio Free Asia, May 28, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/htm/tw-guidelines-05282020063302.html

Briefings | | May 30, 2020 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Mainland Media Issued Apology for False Reporting of Meng Wanzhou Trial

Jiemian.com, a mainland online news media published a false report about Meng Wanzhou’s trial and had to retract the news and issue an apology. On May 27, the judge for British Columbia’s Supreme Court in Vancouver ruled that Meng Wanzhou, the former Huawei Chief Financial Officer met the threshold of double criminality and the U.S. extradition case would move forward. This means that after being confined for 544 days to her residence in Vancouver, Meng remains under house arrest. Ironically Jiemian.com, a financial news website in China, published an article at midnight on May 26 saying that Meng was acquitted and could return home in four days. The article was widely distributed in China for 12 hours until it published an apology and retracted the news. The court result of Meng Wanzhou drew heated discussion over the internet and made it the top search listed on Weibo. At the regular press conference on May 26, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, repeated the demand to free Meng in order to avoid further damage to Canada-China relations.

Source: Epoch Times, May 28, 2020
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/20/5/28/n12142060.htm

Briefings | | May 30, 2020 | Government/Politics

Supreme Court Report Boasted that China’s Business Environment Ranking Improved; the Quality of Judicial Procedures Ranks at the Top in the World

According to The Paper, on May 25, in the speech given at the National 13th National People’s Congress, Zhou Qiang, the president of the Supreme People’s Court, gave a report which summarized the department’s work. The report referenced the “Doing Business 2020” report that the World Bank issued. That report “measured the regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it.” Zhou’s report mentioned that China introduced a law to enforce business contracts, made resolving insolvency easier, and improved the transparency and predictability of the judiciary system. It also stated that the number of legal cases the court processed relating to business helped to re-enforce the fact that China is governed by the rule of law. Zhou claimed that the index from the report stated that the rank of China’s business environment has improved considerably, that the quality of the judicial procedure ranks at the top in the world, and that China is the “World’s Best Practitioner.”

Source: The Paper, May 25, 2020
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_7544167

Briefings | | May 30, 2020 | Government/Politics

China Won’t Set a GDP Growth Target

On May 22, the third session of the 13th China’s National People’s Congress was held in Beijing. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivered a government work report, stating that China will not set a GDP growth target for 2020. For the first time since setting economic growth targets in 1994, China will not set a specific target for annual economic growth. Li Keqiang explained, “[M]ainly because of the great uncertainties of the global pandemic situation and the economic and trade situation, China’s development is facing some unpredictable factors. This will help guide all parties to focus on the “six stabilities” (stabilizing employment, finance, foreign trade, foreign investment, domestic investment, and expectations), and “six protections” (protecting the employment of residents, basic livelihood, market players, food and energy security, supply chains in the industrial chain, and basic-level operations)

The government work report announced that China will issue 1 trillion yuan in government bonds for COVID-19 control.

Source: BBC Chinese, May 22, 2020
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/business-52766866

Briefings | | May 30, 2020 | Economy/Resources

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.

Taiwan Develops Humanitarian Assistance Program for Hong Kong Citizens

Mainland Media Issued Apology for False Reporting of Meng Wanzhou Trial

Supreme Court Report Boasted that China’s Business Environment Ranking Improved; the Quality of Judicial Procedures Ranks at the Top in the World

China Won’t Set a GDP Growth Target

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