News that caught our eye / July 1-8
July 1-8
Comments on Chinese websites severely restricted by new rules / July 7, 2022
In 2017, a provision called “Provisions on the Management of Internet Post Comments Services” required that those who managed Chinese news sites where comments could be posted had to know the real identity of users who comment on posts. It also required they review the content, eliminate “unlawful” comments, and report those who had posted them. This year those provisions have been amended. The main change is that the rules regulating comments about news are now extended to all subjects. All posts must be reviewed before publishing.
China for sending fighters jets across Taiwan Strait / July 8, 2022
Chinese fighter jets crossed the median line of the sensitive Taiwan Strait on July 8 in what the island's government slammed as a provocation. The intrusion pairs with a senior US senator visiting Taipei for a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen. China claims democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory. China has ramped up military and political pressure to try and force the island to accept Chinese rule.
China probes 1990s case of a baby taken from parents / July 5, 2022
China has suspended two health officials in the southern region of Guangxi as authorities investigate the case of a baby boy taken from his parents by local government officials in the 1990s. The boy's parents filed a petition for police to investigate their son's whereabouts after he was taken more than 22 years ago, under a one-child policy prevailing at the time. During that period, authorities routinely enforced family planning measures, including fines, to punish illegal births.
Thai leader praises President Xi / July 7, 2022
Chinese news media report that Phinij Jarusombat, former Thai deputy prime minister, has described Chinese President Xi Jinping is a broad-minded leader with poise, unswerving determination, and creativity. Most of all, he "has a pure heart." He also said, "President Xi Jinping is leading the Chinese people to prosperity."
Ambassadors in China berate Russia /July 4, 2022
Western envoys in China criticized Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, with the U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns saying China should not spread Russian "propaganda." This took place during an unusual public forum in a country that has declined to condemn Moscow's attack. Burns was flanked by the British and French ambassadors to his left and a Chinese government adviser and the Russian ambassador to his right.
Xi exposed to Covid / July 4, 2022
A Hong Kong lawmaker who met President Xi Jinping during a rare visit to HK tested positive for COVID-19 two days after the meeting.
Average life span in China is at all-time high / July 5, 2022
According to Healthy China Action, average life expectancy has increased to 77.93 years.
Xi Jinping claims HK handover to China marked 'beginning of true democracy' / July 1, 2022
Chinese leader Xi Jinping on July 1 claimed "true democracy" began in Hong Kong 25 years ago when China assumed control from Britain. "After its return to the motherland, Hong Kong compatriots became masters of their own affairs, Hong Kong people administered Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy, and that was the beginning of true democracy in Hong Kong," Xi said in a keynote address to Hong Kong officials to mark the 25th anniversary of the handover.
President Xi’s message to Hong Kong: Your freedom is gone / July 4, 2022 (Washington Post editorial)
Personal information from 1B stolen / July 4, 2022
Personal information relating to roughly one billion Chinese citizens has reportedly been stolen in what could be one of the largest cyber heists in history. The data is said to contain people’s names, addresses, birthplaces, national ID numbers, phone numbers, and information on any criminal cases the individuals be involved in.
YouTube report / July 4, 2022
China has no plans to colonize the moon, but the US does / July 3, 2022
China’s Global Times says NASA administrator Bill Nelson erred when he warned, "We should be very concerned that China will land on the moon and say: 'This is ours now and you are going to stay out.'" The Global Times references Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, who says the US is viewing the moon with a colonial mentality. Song maintains that China has always made efforts to build a community with a shared future for humankind. The country always believes that the moon does not belong to any country alone, but to all humanity.
HK man convicted in Hong Kong unrest given 43-month sentence / July 1, 2022
A 33-year-old chef was sentenced to a prison term of three years and seven months at the district court yesterday for rioting and violating the mask ban during a 2019 protest. In her judgment, Judge Lily Wong Sze-lai said Derek Chan Chun-ling not only remained at the scene after seeing the situation escalate but joined in by picking up bricks and standing on the front lines.
Outrage for supporting the overturning of Roe v. Wade / July 1, 2022
In a rare instance of a public figure facing backlash on the Chinese internet over views on abortion, Tracey Chang Xinyue, a Beijing-born, London-based influencer/ entrepreneur who has more than 3 million followers across major social media sites in China, has set off a firestorm of criticism online after expressing her praise for the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.