Chinascope – Page 313

Hiding Information: Wuhan Virology Lab Deleted Files

The Daily Mail reported that the Wuhan’s Institute of Virology (WIV) has removed photographs taken of scientists being slack in the enforcement of safety standards. It also edited out references to visits that US diplomats made.

The institute edited its website page showing pictures of staff members entering caves to take swabs from bats that carried the coronavirus – with the scientists wearing minimal protective equipment.

The institute has also removed references to the March 2018 visit to the institute of Rick Switzer, a science and technology expert from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. As a result of Switzer’s visit, the U.S. Embassy sent cables to the U.S. State Department, warning about the risks of the bat experiments. One read: “During interactions with scientists at the WIV laboratory, they [the diplomats] noted the new lab has a serious shortage of appropriately trained technicians and investigators needed to operate this high-containment laboratory safely.”

Last month, The Mail on Sunday published alarming pictures from inside the institute showing a broken seal on the door of one of the refrigerators holding 1,500 different strains of virus.

Concern about bat experiments has not been confined to the Wuhan institute. An Internet video posted in December showed Tian Junhua, a researcher at the nearby Wuhan Centre for Disease Control, collecting samples from the caves and saying, “We can easily make contact with the feces of bats which contaminate everything. So it is highly risky here. I feel the fear, the fear of infection.”

At the end of the film, a caption declares, “Nearly 2,000 types of viruses have been discovered by the Chinese CDC authorities over the past 12 years. Only 2,284 were discovered over the 200 prior years.” Chinese media reports from 2017 described how Junhua “forgot to take protective measures,” while “bat urine dripped from … his head like raindrops.”

“Wuhan Pneumonia” and Academic Freedom in Taiwan

On April 10, a student from mainland China, who was attending the Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan, wrote to the university authorities to protest that his professor mentioned the “Wuhan pneumonia caused by the covid-19 virus” in class. He pressed the charge of discrimination. Ming-Wei Chao, the associate professor from the Department of Bioscience Technology, apologized in class and said, “As a professor of the Republic of China, I will not discriminate against the students.” The university, four days later, asked professor Chao to issue another apology for the using the wording “the Republic of China.”

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan’s cabinet-level agency handling the cross-strait relations, stepped in and launched an investigation. MAC emphasized that institutions of higher education can allow neither self-censorship and interference of teachers’ freedom in conducting lectures, nor measures that hurt the dignity of the nation. MAC said it will work with the Ministry of Education to find out the facts and adopt appropriate administrative actions to safeguard academic freedom.

Source: Central News Agency, May 11, 2020
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202005110296.aspx

Briefings | | May 14, 2020 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Former Head of China’s Air Carrier Program Is under Investigation

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the disciplinary arm of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) made an announcement at midnight on May 12 that Hu Wenming, former chairman and Party branch secretary of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), is now under investigation for “being suspected of serious violations of discipline and the law.” Mainland Chinese media reported that Hu’s work experience includes the construction of equipment for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), in particular. He was the head of research for the development of China’s first domestically made aircraft carrier Shandong.

CSIC, a key PLA naval institution, undertakes the tasks of research, design and production of air carriers, nuclear submarines and other naval weaponry. The probe gave rise to widespread concerns whether he was involved in leaking state secrets and how this case is related the sacking of his former deputy.

In July 2019, the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate Court sentenced Sun Bo, CSIC’s former general manager and Hu’s deputy, to 12 years for bribery and abuse of power as an employee of a state-owned company. As the evidence of his crimes involved “state secrets,” Sun was not tried publicly. Hong Kong based the South China Morning Post, quoting unnamed sources, disclosed that Sun might face a death sentence for his involvement in leaking confidential documents on China’s first domestically produced air carrier to foreign intelligence agencies.

The wechat account of Beijing Youth Daily reported that Hu, who retired in 2019, had also worked at the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), China North Industries Group Corporation Limited (Norinco), and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), covering the weapons and equipment construction for the land, sea and air forces. Hu also participated in the production of the Chengdu J-10 fighter and the Comac C919 aircraft.

Source: Central News Agency, May 13, 2020
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/202005130057.aspx

Briefings | | May 14, 2020 | Defense/Military

As Movie Industry Suffers Major Setback due to COVID 19, Administration Exerts More Influence

Radio Free Asia reported that China’s film and television industry suffered a significant setback due to COVID 19. The latest data shows that, since the beginning of this year, more than 6,600 film and television companies have closed their doors. The box office revenue will show a loss of 30 billion yuan (US$4.2 billion) this year. Some analysts believe that the central administration could use the opportunity to intensify censorship on the contents of the creations in the film and television industry, making it drift away and become distant from the rest of the world.

On April 29, Wang Xiaohui, executive vice minister of the Central Publicity Department, gave the film and television industry directives to produce films using the following three major themes: showing a moderately prosperous society, the 100th anniversary of the party, and the anti-epidemic effort which promotes positive energy. Wang said that the government will increase the support to the industry, actively coordinate the effort to reduce rent payments, provide loan discounts, and support the purchase and distribution of movie tickets.

On May 7, three video websites, Tencent Video, iQiyi, and Youku, together with six other film and television companies, jointly released an industry rescue proposal and vowed that the industry will produce contents that are “in line with party policy and provide audiences with products that document the lively life and great moments in this era.”

According to the comment quoted in the article, since the central administration has the ability to provide the funding, it now has more leverage to influence the content of the narratives for the movies that are being produced.

Source: Radio Free Asia, May 8, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/meiti/jt-05082020101405.html

Briefings | | May 12, 2020 | Government/Politics

A Chinese University Professor Disciplined for Criticizing Karl Marx

Yu Linqi, a history professor at Harbin Normal University in the northeast province of Heilongjiang, was recently named and shamed for criticizing Karl Marx, the German philosopher whose theory is viewed as the founding ideology of Communist China. On Thursday May 7, the university responded by launching an investigation.

What put Yu at the center of the incident was his comments on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter. He stated, “Why should the (Chinese Communist) Party’s admission oath include ‘never betray the Party’? The Communist Party is not a gang, and its pursuit is not self-interest. It should be a democratic, open and modern political party. One can apply to join the Party when its ideas and policies match his wishes and ideals. Once they don’t match, one can choose to quit, oppose, or even betray. It is irresponsible to blindly follow (the party).” Yu also mentioned that the world’s most successful abettor is (Karl) Marx.

The 50 Cent Army, Internet posters and commentators hired by Chinese authorities to flood social media with pro-government comments, made Yu a target and they fired a barrage of criticism and personal attacks at him.

In the past three years, there have been at least 10 cases of university professors being punished for their speech, including Tsinghua University law professor Xu Zhangrun.

Source: Radio Free Asia, May 8, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/ql1-05082020060328.html

Briefings | | May 12, 2020 | Government/Politics

The U.S. Proposes New Restrictions on Visa Conditions for Chinese Reporters

Well-known Chinese news site Sohu recently reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security posted a new proposed regulation in the Federal Register which plans to apply further restrictions to the visa duration for reporters from China to 90 days. Extensions will be allowed. The plan is currently in the process of public review. If the plan is implemented, Chinese reporters will have to leave the United States after 90 days unless the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approves an extension. The new proposal does not apply to those with Hong Kong or Macau passports. The new plan was reportedly to enhance U.S. national security. In the recent years, the U.S. government has been “creating trouble” for Chinese media reporters. In 2018, the U.S. government asked the Chinese media branches in the U.S. to register as proxies of a foreign government. In February of this year, five Chinese media companies in the U.S. were classified as “foreign missions.” Later the U.S. government restricted the number of staff members for these five companies. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented that, maybe the U.S. government does not want the world to know how poorly they handled the pandemic.

Source: Sohu, May 9, 2020
https://www.sohu.com/a/393986216_115479

Briefings | | May 12, 2020 | US-China Relations

The U.S. Is Looking at Tightening OPT Policies for International Students

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that, right after President Trump suspended legal immigration for 60 days, the U.S. government looked at considering tightening up the policies for the international students to apply for OPT (Optional Practical Training) after graduation. According to a recent Forbes article, the Trump administration may further restrict or entirely eliminate the temporary work opportunities offered by the OPT programs. It is possible that this new development may only apply to Chinese students. This report is not baseless. Acting U. S. Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said on the radio on April 27 that the OPT qualification for Chinese students will be the new target of the Trump administration. Restricting OPT for STEM majors has always been on the table.

Source: Sina, May 7, 2020
https://k.sina.com.cn/article_2817931122_a7f6377200100vany.html?from=news

Briefings | | May 12, 2020 | US-China Relations

CNA: Hu Xijin Called for Adding Nuclear Warheads

Primary Taiwanese news agency Central News Agency (CNA) recently reported that Hu Xijin, Chief Editor of the Chinese hawkish CCP newspaper Global Times, called for a short term increase to 1,000 in the number of China’s nuclear warheads. This includes the need for at least 100 Dongfeng-41 intercontinental strategic missiles. The purpose of this proposal, according to Hu, is to suppress the U.S. strategic ambitions and impulses toward China. Based on the estimate made by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in June 2019, China has 290 nuclear warheads, thereby ranking number four globally. Hu said that China needs to reach the new level in a very short period of time. He predicted that, in the near future, China will need a very strong will to face the upcoming challenges. It must be backed by the Dongfeng and Julang (Giant Wave) families of missiles. The Julang family of missiles are China’s intercontinental submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM). Hu said that people should not dismiss the usefulness of the warheads just because they are merely sitting there. He further explained, “These warheads are shaping the attitude of the American elites towards China, on a daily basis,”

Source: CNA, May 8, 2020
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202005080206.aspx

Briefings | | May 12, 2020 | Defense/Military US-China Relations

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.