Chinascope – Page 436

BBC Chinese: The CCP Faces Nine Challenges to Its Political Security

BBC Chinese recently reported that, entering the year 2019, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is steering into high political risk zones. The article summarized these critical risks using nine points. The top challenge is the reduced economic growth, which is on the borderline of the “tipping point.” The second risk lies in the rapidly expanding gap between the rich and the poor population. The growing and stubborn powerful and special interest groups present the third challenge. That risk is followed with failing rural villages as well as more and more homeless people in the city. The fifth challenge is a society that is, considering several different standards, highly divided. The sixth challenge is that the Internet brings everyday citizens a new political landscape. Tension among ethnic groups in China is now at a dangerous level, so the seventh risk is now quickly becoming a risk that will split the nation’s unity. On the eighth note, widespread corruption is everywhere and more and more people are losing faith in the ruling party. Finally, China’s geopolitical situation has worsened a lot in the past few years. The international pressure has transformed and affected the domestic political environment. All these risks interact with one another and are forming serious challenges for the administration.

Source: BBC Chinese, January 31, 2019
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-47079653

Briefings | | February 6, 2019 | Government/Politics

By 2022, Every Chinese Will “Own” Two Surveillance Cameras

According to a report that the market research institute IDC released on January 30, the deployment of video surveillance cameras in China will reach 2.76 billion units by 2022. With nearly 1.4 billion Chinese, on average, each person will “own” two surveillance cameras. The report also said that, in the next few years, China will spend another $30 billion on improving the technical capabilities of tracking activities .

China has become the world’s largest market for security and surveillance technology. Research firm IHS Markit predicts that China will purchase three-quarters of the servers used for facial recognition in video footage.

In recent years, with the advancement of smart city projects, the public video surveillance network has achieved rapid development. At present, facial recognition systems have been deployed in streets and alleys across China, recording every move that the people make. The government calls it a “smart city.” China has also built the world’s largest video surveillance system, which can accurately identify a pedestrian’s age, gender, and dress.

After the completion of China’s huge video surveillance system “Skynet Project,” another “Bright-as-Snow Project” targeting rural areas started last year and, for the first time, was included in the “No. 1 Document” of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee. A Guangdong company launched a monitoring system for the “Bright-as-Snow Project,” which uses home TVs and smart phones to deliver surveillance videos to the house.

Source: Radio Free Asia, February 4, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/ql1-02042019104522.html

Briefings | | February 5, 2019 | Information/Technology

RFA: Safety of China’s Construction of New Nuclear Power Plants Is Questioned

Radio Free Asia reported that China claims that its new round of nuclear power construction will use domestic technology. On Thursday, January 31, the authorities approved the construction of four nuclear power plants in Huizhou, Guangdong and Zhangzhou, Fujian.They are expected to use the “Hualong No. 1” technology, which is known as independent research and development. However, some experts have questioned whether this so-called domestic technology was actually derived from a bankrupt U.S. company.

The Hong Kong Public Professionals Alliance has been following the safety of nuclear power plants in mainland China. Its policy spokesman, Li Guangde, told RFA that, although China claims to have independently developed the “Hualong No. 1” technology, in fact, Westinghouse Electric AP1000 technology developed its prototype before it filed for bankruptcy. Although the China Nuclear Safety administration approved these technologies, there has never been a disclosure of the technical documents and there has been no public participation in the approval process. According to Li, China is well aware that, in its future energy strategy, the focus is on renewable energy, including solar energy and hydropower. China already has this type of infrastructure, which is not fully used. The nuclear power industry could represent a big interest group, Li said, the battle between renewable energy and nuclear power will continue.

Source: Radio Free Asia, February 1, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/huanjing/gf1-02012019100816.html

Briefings | | February 5, 2019 | Information/Technology

Claws of the Panda: Canadian Journalist Warns of China’s Influence and Infiltration

At a time of tense relations between Canada and China, Jonathan Manthorpe, a long time a foreign correspondent and international affairs columnist, published a new book on February 2, “Claws of the Panda: Beijing’s Campaign of Influence and Intimidation in Canada.” The book portrays how the Chinese Communist Party has used a number of different means to infiltrate Canada and other Western countries.

Manthorpe said that Canada has had wrong expectations of China over the past 40 years. He said that Canada has two major blind spots on China. The first is the thought that, with the integration of China into the global economy, it will become a country that values democracy, human rights, and freedom. The second is the belief that China has no ambitions and it will not use its hegemonic powers to suppress other nations. Today, the Meng Wanzhou incident is only a tipping point for the outside world to see the true nature of the Chinese Communist Party.

Manthorpe said, “We can see how China is trying to be able to influence public life, business life and academic life in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Canada. The bits and pieces disclosed in the Meng Wanzhou incident are exactly the same as what was mentioned in the book. This invisible penetration of Western countries is terrible. Do you ask me whether China is dangerous? I said that the Chinese people are not dangerous, but the Chinese Communist Party is absolutely dangerous and terrible.”

“This (Meng Wanzhou incident) is a very important and positive wake-up call for Canadian political leaders and ordinary Canadians, that we have to adjust and revisit our relations with China. Dealing with China should depend on reality and cannot be based on our own expectations.”

A typical example in the book is how China stole Canada’s nuclear research program, the Slowpoke nuclear reactor. This nuclear reactor was a unique research innovation of Canada in the 1970s. But over the years, the details of this nuclear research were leaked to China bit by bit. Later, when a Canadian researcher visited China, he was surprised to find that China was stealing, copying, and reproducing the Canadian technology. In this competition of nuclear research, China completely defeated Canada.

Source: Radio Free Asia, February 2, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/lf-02022019132637.html

Briefings | | February 4, 2019 | Geo-Strategic Trend

A Researcher: Search Engine Baidu Has Died

Fang Kecheng, a PhD candidate at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, and former news reporter for Southern Weekend (a relatively liberal media in Guangzhou), published an article in which he stated that Baidu is no longer a search engine for the public but rather a media promoting its own contents.

According to an experiment that Fang conducted, the first page of Baidu’s search results lists links to Bai Jiahao, Baidu’s own content platform. For example, when searching “British Brexit,” there were seven results on the first page. The first one was Baidu Baike (Encyclopedia), the second, fourth, fifth, and seventh were all Bai Jiahao articles. Searching “U.S. government shutdown,” half of the 8 links on the first page, including the first and second, were Bai Jiahao links. In a search for “Trump,” the links on the first page were: Baidu Baike, Baidu Tieba (Forum), Bai Jiahao, Bai Jiahao, Bai Jiahao, Bai Jiahao, Sina, Bai Jiahao, and Baidu Baike.

The quality of Bai Jiahao’s articles is questionable. For example, it published an article claiming that the CIA admitted that Bin Laden was not related to the “9-11” attack and apologized to his family. That article had been read 400,000 times.

Fang gave his analysis on why Baidu has become so “off the mark”:

One, China’s Internet has fierce competition and those mega companies, such as WeChat, Microblog, and Taobao, do not let Baidu search their contents, so, Baidu’s results are narrow.

Two, Baidu does not want to be a search engine anymore. It just wants to be a marketing platform, so it converts all people using its searches into traffic intended for its own site and then it will make money.

Fang argued that it is not a sustainable business model. Once people discover that they can’t find what they need, they will use it less and less. Baidu’s strategy was equivalent to spending all its money before doomsday.

Baidu’s Counter and Fang’s Rebuttal

Baidu responded to the article and claimed that contents from Bai Jiahao represent less than 10 percent of Baidu’s total search results.

Fang rebutted, “It is meaningless to use the total research results as a measure (and also, aren’t Bai Jiahao’s contents at 10 percent already too big a share of the total result)? People normally just look at the first and second page. It would be more meaningful if Baidu released the percentage data on the first page.”

Sources:

1. Aboluo, January 24, 2019
https://www.aboluowang.com/2019/0124/1236625.html
2. Kejilie.com
http://www.kejilie.com/qq/article/imaYrm.html

Briefings | | February 4, 2019 | Information/Technology

CNA: Hong Kong Working on Law with Potential Three Years in Prison for Insulting China’s National Anthem

Central News Agency (CNA) of Taiwan reported that the Hong Kong government is working on a draft law for the National Anthem. A person will face a maximum of three years in prison and a HK$50,000 (US$6,500) fine if he shows disrespect for China’s national anthem.

The new law also requires that all students in Hong Kong must learn the Chinese national anthem, its history, and its spirit.

The Economists reported that, though Hong Kong was handed over to Beijing in 1997, Hong Kong soccer fans have maintained a tradition of making noises when China’s national anthem is played in the field. Some fans wave the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region (instead of China’s flag), and some even wave the Hong Kong flag from the era when it was under the U.K.’s control.

Currently, Beijing influences the Hong Kong government. Beijing is happy to see that the Hong Kong government is working on this law.

CNA warned that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) promise cannot be trusted. Its “one country, two systems” policy means “one country under one party’s rule and two systems with one system dominating the other one.” “Hong Kong’s national anthem law is a warning to Taiwan of its possible future (if Taiwan chooses to unite under the CCP).”

Source: CNA, January 24, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201901240132.aspx

Briefings | | February 3, 2019 | Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

To Buy Fireworks in Beijing Now Needs Real Name Registration

The first time a person wishes the purchase fireworks or firecrackers in Beijing, he now has to register for the purchase using his real name. For the record, the purchaser needs to provide personal identification information, a mobile phone number, and enter the type and quantity of fireworks and firecrackers into the computer database. According to media reports, a Beijing municipal official revealed that the number of retail outlets for purchasing fireworks and firecrackers will be reduced from more than 80 last year to no more than 30. The sales time window is from January 30 to February 9. The purpose of real-name registration is said to be strengthening the supervision of the flow of fireworks and firecrackers. “Every retail outlet will be equipped with special instruments and an ID card will be used for the purchase. Then, once a problem occurs, it can be traced back to the purchaser.”
Beijing is the second city after Xinjiang, which started in 2014, to have implemented real-name registration for purchasing fireworks and firecrackers.
Beijing will hold a number of major political events this year. First, the second “One Belt, One Road” international cooperation summit forum will be held in April. Following that will be the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. The government has been conducting a series of security deployments since New Year’s Day to ensure political security, including the sale of fireworks and firecrackers.
Source: Radio Free Asia, January 31, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shehui/ql-01312019102334.html

Briefings | | February 3, 2019 | Government/Politics

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.