August | 2011 | Wandering China

August 31, 2011 • 12:43 am 0

China state media urge crackdown on microblog “rumours” [IB Times]

A follow-up from Beijing curbs online dissent by menacing social network’s owner [Independent Asia].

So it seems the intent of the party to curb online dissent are based on ‘toxic rumours’ and Xinhua has stepped in denouncing the Internet ‘Rumour-mongering’. With more netizens than any nation, China’s internet is a ‘lively forum for public opinion’.

The Guardian UK also weighs in with this report – ’China calls for crackdown on ‘toxic’ internet rumours - Xinhua news agency article is latest state media report warning about danger of harmful information spread via microblogs‘ (August 30, 2011)

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China state media urge crackdown on microblog “rumours”
Source – IB Times, published August 30, 2011

China’s state-run news agency demanded on Tuesday that Internet companies, regulators and police do more to cleanse websites of “toxic rumours”, adding to signs that the ruling Communist Party wants to tame the explosion of freewheeling microblogs.

The Xinhua news agency’s denunciation of Internet “rumour mongering” came after a senior official last week urged Sina Corp and other Chinese companies do more to staunch harmful hearsay among the 200 million or more Chinese who use Twitter-like microblogs to spread information with lightning speed.

China’s Internet, with more registered users than any other nation, is a lively forum for public opinion, said Xinhua. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Censorship, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Culture, Democracy, Domestic Growth, Great Firewall, Influence, International Relations, Internet, Mapping Feelings, Media, Modernisation, Politics, Public Diplomacy, Reform, Social, Soft Power, Strategy, Technology, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities

August 30, 2011 • 1:30 am 0

Mooncake tax sparks uproar in China: reports [AFP/Google]

So, the mooncake, both a symbol for defiance against Mongol invaders and staple in Chinese celebratory food culture is about to get taxed. Apparently, the Beijing Local Taxation Bureau (I did not see an indication of this from visiting their website, however) are making employees pay a personal income tax on moon cakes offered by their employers during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the second most important on China’s lunar calendar after the Chinese New Year – the result? Public dissastifaction of course mediated by China’s twitter and facebook hybrid Weibo – which found that 96 percent of users opposed the tax on the sweetmeat, and many Chinese said they would prefer not to receive them at all.

‘The moon cakes, which are Chinese bakery products traditionally eaten during the festival, are considered a non-cash employee benefit that are normally included with personal income, and consequently the tax might be imposed if total income exceeds the minimum personal income tax threshold…’ See - Moon cake tax proposal stirs debate (Global Times, August 29, 2011)

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Mooncake tax sparks uproar in China: reports
AFP
Source – Google News, published August 29, 2011

BEIJING — A decision by Beijing authorities to impose tax on mooncakes, a delicacy given as gifts for the Mid-Autumn Festival, has sparked an outcry in the Chinese capital, reports said Monday.

The cakes — heavy pastries containing sweet lotus seed paste — will from this year be considered a non-cash benefit and subject to income tax, the Global Times said, citing the Beijing Local Taxation Bureau.

A poll conducted by the microblogging service Weibo found that 96 percent of users opposed the tax on the sweetmeat, and many Chinese said they would prefer not to receive them at all. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: AFP, Beijing Consensus, Chinese Model, Culture, Domestic Growth, Economics, Google News, Government & Policy, Inflation, Lifestyle, Media, Population, Social, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities

August 29, 2011 • 1:14 am 0

Beijing curbs online dissent by menacing social network’s owner [Independent Asia]

A step back in the democratisation of the flow of information in China? This opens up a multitude of questions. I wonder what the international community might think. Will the politicians step forth to state a case, or the citizen journalists? Or has the world come to accept that China has its own characteristics with dealing in domestic affairs? Perhaps the Chinese netizens themselves will be savvy enough to get around this.

China’s hybrid of Twitter and Facebook, Sina Weibo 新浪微博 comes under ‘attack’ in order to “create a healthy online media atmosphere” (Beijing municipal Communist Party boss Liu Qi who visited Sina last week). Commanding 56% of the Chinese microblogging market, the Independent argues that ‘this platform too [has shifted to] the wrong side of the vast system of control known as “The Great Firewall of China”.’

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Beijing curbs online dissent by menacing social network’s owner
By Clifford Coonan in Beijing
Source – The Independent, Asia, published 29 August 2011

In a country where Twitter and Facebook are banned, the microblogging website of choice for 200 million Chinese is Weibo, but tightening restrictions on dissent mean that this platform too is on the wrong side of the vast system of control known as “The Great Firewall of China”.

Fearful of the spread of Middle East-style protests against authoritarian rule, and of any destabilising influences ahead of a change of leadership next year, Beijing has been asserting itself among online outlets.

Weibo’s operator, Sina, a private company, is cracking down on “the spread of false rumours” after the Communist Party told internet companies to tighten control over information online. Sina has set up a channel called “Weibo Refutes Rumours” to spread denials of false information. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Communications, Culture, Democracy, Domestic Growth, Education, Environment, Great Firewall, Great Wall, Greater China, History, Human Rights, Influence, International Relations, Internet, Media, Modernisation, Nationalism, People, Politics, Public Diplomacy, Reform, Social, Soft Power, Strategy, Technology, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities, The Independent

August 26, 2011 • 1:07 am 1

The Significance of China’s First Aircraft Carrier [Epoch Times]

As China’s first aircraft carrier continues to indicate China’s strategic capacity and desires to defend its growing interests, the Epoch Times perhaps unsurprisingly, presents the case that China’s aircraft carrier is an object of/for domestic vanity and does not pose any threat in the short term to any country.

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The Significance of China’s First Aircraft Carrier
By Quincy Yu
Source – Epoch Times, published August 25, 2011

After an inaugural four-day trial at sea, China’s aircraft carrier returned to the mainland’s northeastern port of Dalian on Aug. 14. A reincarnation of the former Soviet carrier Varyag, it was acquired from Ukraine in 1998. The carrier is expected to be enlisted into the Chinese navy in August of next year, to be christened afterwards in October.

Communist mouthpieces Xinhua and CCTV were restrained in reporting the event, in sharp contrast to foreign media coverage. Photography failed to reveal any significant details, due to strategic concealment onboard. Some China experts commented that the communist regime’s launching of the revamped vessel carries more weight domestically than internationally.

China expert and commentator Wen Zhao told The Epoch Times that Beijing’s investing an exorbitant amount of taxpayers’ money in an aircraft carrier was intended to have more of an internal impact than an external one: to earn the praises of military fans and swell the hearts of nationalists. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Domestic Growth, Economics, Greater China, Influence, International Relations, Mapping Feelings, Media, military, Modernisation, Nationalism, Politics, Public Diplomacy, Resources, Strategy, The Chinese Identity, Varyag

August 25, 2011 • 12:27 am 0

Pentagon report: China closer to matching modern militaries [Washington Times]

For more, check out The Pentagon’s Annual China Report… (Time battleland, August 24, 2011)

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Pentagon report: China closer to matching modern militaries
By Bill Gertz
Source – Washington Times, published August 24, 2011

China’s military buildup has made impressive gains that pushed the Communist Party-controlled People’s Liberation Army closer to matching modern militaries, according to the Pentagon’s annual report to Congress made public Wednesday.

“Militarily, China’s sustained modernization program is paying visible dividends,” the report said. “During 2010, China made strides toward fielding an operational anti-ship ballistic missile, continued work on its aircraft carrier program, and finalized the prototype of its first stealth aircraft.”

While the report cautioned that the Chinese military continues to have gaps in key military capabilities and has large amounts of outdated hardware and a lack of operational experience, it concluded that the People’s Liberation Army “is steadily closing the technological gap with modern armed forces.” Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Chinese Model, Domestic Growth, Influence, International Relations, military, Nationalism, Strategy, Technology, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities, U.S.

August 23, 2011 • 12:55 am 0

Who owns America? Hint: It’s not China [CNN]

Useful to have some perspective; that China owns most of America’s debt is something bandied about regularly in the media, and in the study of international relations. So it seems that China’s $1.16 trillion held constitutes 8 percent. In comparison, US households hold $959.4 billion, at 6.6 percent. Also, check out Business Insider’s slideshow – The TRUTH About Who Really Owns All Of America’s Debt

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Who owns America? Hint: It’s not China
Source – CNN Global Public Square, July 21, 2011

Editor’s Note: The following piece comes from Global Post, which provides excellent coverage of world news - important, moving and odd.

By Tom Mucha, Global Post

Truth is elusive. But it’s a good thing we have math.

Our friends at Business Insider know this, and put those two principles to work today in this excellent and highly informative little slideshow, made even more timely by the ongoing talks in Washington, D.C. aimed at staving off a U.S. debt default.

Here’s the big idea:

Many people — politicians and pundits alike — prattle on that China and, to a lesser extent Japan, own most of America’s $14.3 trillion in government debt.

But there’s one little problem with that conventional wisdom: it’s just not true. While the Chinese, Japanese and plenty of other foreigners own substantial amounts, it’s really Americans who hold most of America’s debt.

Here’s a quick and fascinating breakdown by total amount held and percentage of total U.S. debt, according to Business Insider: Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Communications, Domestic Growth, Economics, Education, Finance, Government & Policy, Influence, International Relations, Media, Nationalism, Politics, Public Diplomacy, South Korea, Strategy, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities, Trade, U.S.

August 23, 2011 • 12:01 am 0

China, U.S. call time-out on diplomatic brawls [International Business Times]

“I hope this doesn’t sound chauvinistic to other countries, but our mutual success will benefit the whole world… It is the key, in my view, to global economic stability.” US Vice President Joe Biden, in a speech where he alluded to the two countries as ‘G2′.

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China, U.S. call time-out on diplomatic brawls
Source – International Business Times, published August 22, 2011

During Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to China, Beijing and Washington confined their brawling to the basketball court, and for now economic and political needs should keep tensions in the diplomatic arena from spiraling into fully-fledged feuds.

Both Biden and his Chinese hosts showed they want to avoid unnerving blow-ups with global markets already spooked. Both governments also face a potentially volatile political season in 2012, when President Barack Obama runs for re-election and the Chinese Communist Party installs new leaders.

“In China nowadays there’s a variety of viewpoints. Some people see the United States as in decline,” said Zhu Feng, a professor of international relations at Peking University who specializes in Sino-American relations. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Culture, Domestic Growth, Economics, Finance, Government & Policy, Influence, International Relations, Mapping Feelings, Nationalism, New Leadership, Politics, Public Diplomacy, Reform, Soft Power, Strategy, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities, U.S.

August 22, 2011 • 1:04 am 0

[Gary Locke] Common touch rattles China [The Age/New York Times]

New Media, the Public Sphere 2.0 and shifting flows of social control – The U.S. has unwittingly made a deft International Relations chess move by way of the first Chinese-American ambassador in Beijing.

China ambassador Gary Locke has ‘stirred’ how everyday Chinese, fed up of seeing their own officials indulge in highly visible off-line and online privileged lives, view their own leaders without saying a word. The winning act? Having Locke being photographed at a Starbucks in Seattle Airport. Throw in the broth a pinch of social media – a post onto China’s Sina weibo microblog community; and the single snapshot we see below has captured the imagination of the Chinese.

Cheng Li, Brookings Institution scholar who studies Chinese elite politics - ”Ambassador Locke’s photo contrasts sharply with the image of the Chinese officials who often live in a secret, insulated, very privileged fashion. This may explain why some Chinese leaders tend to be out of touch with the real life of the ordinary Chinese people – members of the urban middle class, not to mention the farmers and migrant workers.”

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Common touch rattles China
Edward Wong
New York Times
Source: The Age, published August 19, 2011

BEIJING: The word on the street, whether in Washington or Beijing, is that the United States is on the decline and China is on the ascent. But it has taken nothing more than a cup of coffee and a backpack to show that US officials can still evoke awe, respect and envy among Chinese, even if unwittingly.

A photograph taken on Friday of the new US ambassador to China, Gary Locke, buying coffee with his six-year-old daughter and carrying a black backpack at a Starbucks in Seattle Airport, has gone viral on the internet in China.

The seemingly banal scene has bewildered and disarmed Chinese because they are used to seeing their own officials indulge in privileged lives often propped up by graft, bribery and lavish expense accounts.

Locke and his family were waiting to fly to Beijing when a Chinese-American businessman took the photo and posted it on Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese social networking site. It has been reposted more than 40,000 times and has generated thousands of comments. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: 52 Unacceptable Practices, Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Chinese overseas, Communications, Corruption, Culture, Education, Greater China, Influence, International Relations, Lifestyle, Nationalism, New York Times, Politics, Public Diplomacy, Reform, Social, Soft Power, Strategy, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities, U.S.

August 21, 2011 • 12:05 am 0

Vietnamese police crush anti-China protest [AP/Yahoo News]

For a glimpse of the anti-China protests, check out the AP youtube video below that comes complete with voxpops of protesters on the streets.

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Vietnamese police crush anti-China protest
AP
Source – Yahoo News, published August 21, 2011

HANOI, Vietnam – Vietnamese police swooped in and crushed an anti-China rally Sunday, arresting dozens of protesters who refused to stop chanting and forcing them onto two buses that were driven away.

The move followed stern warnings last week that Hanoi would no longer tolerate the weekly demonstrations that have taken place in the capital for the past 10 weekends over disputed territory in the South China Sea.

About 50 protesters showed up at Hanoi’s landmark Hoan Kiem Lake, unfurling banners and shouting anti-China slogans. Main streets in the capital’s tourist district were quickly blocked off by police and the protesters were dragged onto public buses by security officers. Many clung to the windows and doors, still shouting from inside while holding up their signs. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: AP, Beijing Consensus, Domestic Growth, Economics, Influence, International Relations, Mapping Feelings, military, Politics, Strategy, Territorial Disputes, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities, Vietnam

August 19, 2011 • 7:21 am 0

Pausing for Tiangong [Space Daily]

Will the launch failure affect the upcoming flight of the Long March 2C satellite affect Tiangong 1, China’s first space laboratory? Tiangong (literally “heavenly palace”) is a planned crewed space station with origins from 1992 as Project 921-2. The political message of the Tiangong project has been broached by the BBC. How will the world make sense of this recent failure?

For more, see China unveils rival to International Space Station (Guardian, April 26, 2011)
Less than a decade ago, it fired its first human being into orbit. Now, Beijing is working on a multi-capsule outpost in space. But what is the political message of the Tiangong ‘heavenly palace’?

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Pausing for Tiangong
by Morris Jones | Sydney, Australia (SPX)
Source – Space Daily, published Aug 19, 2011

: Illustration of the Tiangong mission. Photo – Space Daily

The recent failure of a Long March 2C satellite launch will certainly displease China’s spaceflight community. It raises another interesting question. Will the launch failure affect the upcoming flight of Tiangong 1, China’s first space laboratory?

There are reasons to suggest that China could simply forge ahead with the launch, which is expected by the end of the month. Launch failures happen to everyone from time to time. The gremlins that plague one rocket don’t necessarily jump to others.

Some of these failures are caused by random problems that don’t repeat consistently, ranging from faulty parts to badly implemented procedures. Right now, we can expect that Chinese engineers are examining the potential causes of this recent failure, but it will probably take some time before they can reach any firm conclusions. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Communications, Domestic Growth, Education, Greater China, Influence, Infrastructure, International Relations, Mapping Feelings, Media, Nationalism, Politics, Public Diplomacy, Research, space, Strategy, Technology, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities

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Wandering China

The Significance of China’s First Aircraft Carrier [Epoch Times]

Pentagon report: China closer to matching modern militaries [Washington Times]

Who owns America? Hint: It’s not China [CNN]

China, U.S. call time-out on diplomatic brawls [International Business Times]

Vietnamese police crush anti-China protest [AP/Yahoo News]

Pausing for Tiangong [Space Daily]

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