China news roundup / Nachrichten 2023-01-19
China announces lunar new year censorship crackdown to silence Covid ‘rumours’
"The month-long “Spring Festival online improvement” program will target those spreading what authorities deem to be “rumours” about the spread of Covid and patient experiences.
The national cyber administration specified “in-depth rectification of false information and other issues to prevent gloomy sentiments”."
--- 'Don't worry, be happy! & if you're not happy, we invite you to tea.'
Chinese Propaganda, In a Local Paper Near You
"when we take a closer look at the activities China pursues globally, what we often see is a pattern of changing official discourse to describe the intent behind tactics that have largely remained unchanged, and that have questionable effectiveness."
--- Luckily, the CCP is a rather slow learner, hampered by ideology. But you shouldn't underestimate the influence on the Chinese diaspora.
"People’s Daily reported “cumulative annual views” of nearly 20 million internationally in 2022 for content produced by its 39 overseas bureaus. How was this achieved?
The newspaper claimed to have provided around 3,000 news products in 13 languages to foreign mainstream media, with 35,000 “media drops” (落地) in more than 1,000 foreign media. If these numbers are reliable — though we should remember that the People’s Daily has a vested interest in boasting to those above — it means that the newspaper group produced roughly 3,000 distinct articles or news products that were placed in foreign media outlets 35,000 times, either with payment for inserts or through media cooperation. In many cases, then, identical pieces of People’s Daily news copy would have been shared with around 11.6 media outlets in different languages, with an average of just under 100 “media drops” per day."
--- 20m views per year with 7 billion people in the world is not really impressive, I guess.
"China’s communication failures also represent an opportunity that should be recognized and responded to. Beyond raising awareness of the efforts of the Chinese Party-state to influence international agendas, free and open societies around the world should find new ways to work collaboratively on media projects that respond to local needs and concerns, and that encourage media literacy and media production in ways that are professional, participatory, and creative."
--- &, in particular, ways should be found to address the local Chinese diaspora.
Workplace Safety Protests Turn Violent at China-Owned Plant
"When the company rejected these demands, the SPN workers called a strike from January 11 to 14.
However, Li said, the company framed the strike as an anti-China movement and gave the Chinese workers steel sticks and other tools to guard the facility. He said the company also held the Chinese workers' paychecks as a means of control. Some workers hadn't received their paychecks for three to five months."
--- More info about that recent riot in Indonesia. Seems like the Indonesian workers did not originally intend to attack the Chinese workers, but the company used them as guards & made them targets this way.
Chinese students signing “loyalty” pledges before arrival in Sweden
"letters being written by Chinese doctoral students before their entry into Sweden apparently “swearing loyalty” to the ruling Communist party in their home country, among other agreements.
The regime requires that they also must “serve the interests of the regime” and “never participate in ‘activities’ that go against the will of the authorities”, the report said.
In addition, the agreement states that there is a possibility that if they go against what is written in the letters, or if their education is “interrupted” their families in China could end up being in financial debt to the state."
--- Probably goes for Chinese students all over the world, not only in Sweden. But a German sinologist thinks this is not a big problem: "Just because people sign that doesn’t mean they believe it or follow it (as many Chinese scholars will tell you if you). Most (nearly all) sign b/c they have to sign, and don’t care abt it"
Which sadly is representative for much of Germann sinology.
US chemical engineer avoids prison after conviction for hiding ties to China
"The light sentence was probably a relief, not just to Tao, but to scientists of Chinese descent who have felt targeted by the China Initiative and other government policies, says Jenny Lee, a social scientist at the University of Arizona in Tucson who studies research collaborations"
--- Because even if you are found guilty, you might have a naive judge who gives you a mild sentence?
A tragedy pushed to the shadows: the truth about China’s Cultural Revolution
Ugandans protest at Chinese embassy over unpaid salaries
Families of Americans Wrongfully Detained in China Urge Blinken to Prioritize Release
In from the cold? Australia and China eye first meeting of trade ministers in more than three years
Authorities refuse to let family of ill Tibetan businessman visit him in prison
--- CNN: "Social media videos show China nurses sick from Covid collapsing on the job"
--- Hoover Institution: "Sticks, Carrots . . . Baby Carrots: Rep. Mike Gallagher on the China Threat"
China meldet Rückgang von Corona-Zahlen
"China hat kurz vor Beginn des chinesischen Neujahrsfestes nach Angaben der Behörden den Höhepunkt schwerer Corona-Infektionen erreicht. Die Zahl der Patienten mit kritischem Zustand in Krankenhäusern habe am 17. Januar um mehr als 40 Prozent unter dem Höchststand vom 5. Januar gelegen, erklärte ein Beamter der Nationalen Gesundheitskommission."
--- Vermutlich zählt man aber nur die Fälle in den Großstädten, wie in China so üblich.
"Am Samstag hatte China infolge der Kritik die Todeszahlen im Zusammenhang mit dem Virus stark nach oben korrigiert und fast 60.000 Todesfälle seit Beginn der Corona-Lockerungen Anfang Dezember gemeldet - ein Anstieg um das Zehnfache gegenüber früheren Angaben."
--- Nee, ein Anstieg um mehr als das Hundertfache. In der laufenden Welle hatte man bisher erst ca. 50 Tote zugegeben.
"Um der rasant steigenden Nachfrage nachkommen zu können, verdreifachen die chinesischen Arzneimittelhersteller derzeit in aller Eile ihre Produktionskapazitäten für wichtige Fieber- und Hustenmittel, wie die staatliche Zeitung "China Daily" berichtete."
--- Aber warum denn, wenn das Schlimmste schon hinter uns liegt?
Chinas Bevölkerungsschwund bedroht Xis großes Ziel
"Für die Entwicklung der Volksrepublik in einen modernen Industriestaat könnte das den Todesstoßes bedeuten: China wird alt, bevor es reich wird. Diese Entwicklung wird Peking nicht durch Einwanderung ausgleichen können (und wollen)."
--- Muß nicht unbedingt der Todesstoß sein. So eine Entwicklung kann man durchaus durch Innovation & Modernisierung ausgleichen. Daß China dazu in der Lage ist, darf aber bezweifelt werden.
"Wie bei vielen Zahlen, die aus der Volksrepublik gemeldet werden, ist auch hier auf die Richtigkeit der Angaben kein Verlass. Da die Provinzregierungen allerdings aus Peking Zuwendungen gemessen an der Bevölkerungszahl erhalten, besteht Anlass zu glauben, dass aus den Regionen zu hohe Einwohnerzahlen gemeldet werden und in Wahrheit bereits jetzt in China weniger Menschen leben als von der Kommunistischen Partei behauptet."
--- So sieht es aus.
