China

Cross posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/18070785

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RedNote's top thought leaders experienced a collective crisis today after launching their #StandWithCCP campaign against the TikTok ban, attempting to "synergize cross-cultural digital harmony initiatives through leveraging collective thought alignment paradigms."

The incident began when Madison Parker, a self-described "Digital Sovereignty Architect" and "Corporate Culture Sherpa" with 2.3 million followers, organized a protest featuring carousel posts about "optimizing censorship-forward content strategies."

Parker's $2,999 "Social Credit Score Optimization Workshop: Future Leaders Edition" was canceled after her Zoom account got blocked in mainland China. "It's clearly Western tech interference," she explained through her crisis management team, who were desperately DMing Chinese state media accounts with "plz delete?" regarding her 2019 Taiwan posts.

The crisis deepened when her new podcast, "The Great Firewall Mindset: Disrupting Digital Freedom," couldn't be distributed in China due to Spotify's ban. Her follow-up "Future of Censorship" conference faced similar issues when the entire WeWork venue's IP range was accidentally blacklisted by Chinese authorities.

The situation reached peak chaos when several influencers attempted damage control using AI-generated Mandarin apologies, which accidentally included the phrase "Taiwan is a sovereign nation" in traditional characters with extra flourishes.

At press time, Parker announced she would be pivoting to posting about "one unified digital ecosystem thinking" exclusively through interpretive dance videos on her backup BeReal account, all while using a NordVPN premium subscription she swears is just for "network security optimization purposes."

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• China increases its aggressive tactics in the South China Sea, with the Philippines becoming a major target
• Philippine ships face increasing harassment, including blockades, ramming, and non-lethal weapons such as lasers and water cannons
• This large-scale maritime occupation infringes Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, displaying China’s growing confidence and belligerence

In recent years, we’ve seen China become more confident and confrontational, especially in the South China Sea region. Their aggressive tactics have intensified, with the Philippines now standing out as a primary target.

China is making full use of its considerable maritime power, pushing boundaries and displaying no signs of backing down – quite literally. There has been a marked increase in instances where Chinese ships have obstructed, rammed or swarmed the vessels of the island nation. Sounds like something from a pirate movie, doesn’t it? But this isn’t fiction.

[...]

Infringement of Philippine Waters

The South China Sea also plays host to the Philippines’ internationally recognized exclusive economic zone (or EEZ). This basically means that the Philippines has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources in this area. It’s akin to having your own backyard, where you should be free to do what you need without interference.

However, what Manila now faces is a large-scale maritime invasion by what can only be described as a hostile imperial power. This is similar to having a territorial bully walk into your backyard and claim it as its own.

[...]

To sum it up, the situation in the South China Sea reflects China’s rising audacity. [China's] belligerent maneuvers, particularly towards the Philippines, reveal a scenario of maritime machismo in full swing. In a world that so often extols the virtues of peace, diplomacy and respect for international boundaries, what China is doing is downright audacious.

With each swarming event, each blockade, and every powerful laser beam, the tension mounts further. However, the world watches and waits, hoping for a resolution that respects international law and the sanctity of sovereign waters.

[...]

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The Central Tibetan Administration [CTA], also known as the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, has announced plans to publish a comprehensive book and map documenting the original Tibetan names of places and boundaries. This initiative, aimed at countering China’s escalating cartographic aggression, was disclosed by CTA President Penpa Tsering during an interview with Hindustan Times.

President Tsering [...] explained the challenges and scope of the project, noting that the complexity would vary depending on the depth of research undertaken. “The work on the map is under process, and much will depend on to what level we need to go to find out the original names in Tibetan. If we restrict it only to townships, the task becomes much easier. Maybe we will begin by focusing on townships and later expand it to include villages, and that involves a lot of work.”

[...]

Prominent international media organisations, including The Guardian, AFP, ANI, and NDTV, have been criticised for using the term “Xizang” in their reports. A recent example involved coverage of the devastating earthquake in Dingri County, Shigatse Prefecture, which claimed 134 lives, injured 337, and destroyed thousands of homes. These reports prominently featured the Chinese term, drawing criticisms from the Tibetan community.

In another instance, the Musée du quai Branly in France faced backlash for using “Xizang” in its catalogue of Tibetan artefacts. Following strong opposition from the Tibetan community, supporters, and activist groups like Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) in France, the museum eventually removed the term. Scholars argued that the use of “Xizang” aligns with China’s official narrative and diminishes Tibet’s cultural and historical autonomy.

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cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/18055307

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Beijing's Salt Typhoon cyberspies had been seen in US government networks before telcos discovered the same foreign intruders in their own systems, according to CISA boss Jen Easterly.

Speaking at a Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) event on Wednesday, the agency director said her threat hunters detected the Chinese government goons in federal networks before the far-reaching espionage campaign against people's telecommunications providers had been found and attributed to Salt Typhoon.

"We saw it as a separate campaign, called it another goofy cyber name, and we were able to, based on the visibility that we had within the federal networks, connect some dots," and tie the first set of snoops to the same crew that burrowed into AT&T, Verizon, and other telecoms firms' infrastructure, Easterly noted.

By compromising those telcos – specifically, the systems that allow the Feds to lawfully monitor criminal suspects [the U.S. Wiretap system} – Salt Typhoon had the capability to geolocate millions of subscribers, access people's internet traffic, and record phone calls at will.

This visibility into federal government networks, combined with private-industry tips coming into CISA, led to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies obtaining court-approved access to Salt-Typhoon-leased virtual private servers.

"That then led to cracking open the larger Salt Typhoon piece," Easterly said.

Still, she cautioned, "what we have found is likely just the tip of the iceberg" when it comes to Chinese intrusions into American critical infrastructure.

"China is the most persistent and serious cyber threat to the nation and to our national critical infrastructure," Easterly warned, adding that Salt Typhoon isn't her biggest worry when it comes to Middle Kingdom cyberthreats.

[...]

The public later learned that the same PRC-backed crew had compromised at least one large US city's emergency services network, been conducting reconnaissance on "multiple" American electric companies, and was still lurking inside power, water, and comms systems, preparing to "wreak havoc" on American infrastructure and "cause societal chaos" in the US.

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[The CCP doesn't rewrite history, it increasingly tries to prevent it from ever being written.]

How has the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tended the gaping chasm between propaganda and reality in China’s modern history? And what do earlier historical precedents of propaganda around past atrocities bode for future propaganda on East Turkistan [or Xinjiang, as the region is also called]?

[...]

For now, the CCP’s mission to propagandize a fairyland version of East Turkistan continues apace. Along with vast amounts of content in the domestic media and sponsored content abroad, the CCP’s messaging also appears in traveling exhibitions, in “conferences,” in carefully stage-managed media and diplomatic tours of the region, and at travel shows where people are invited to “unveil the truth” about the region.

[...]

A basic metric for the scale of oppression is that Uyghurs (at barely one percent of China’s national population) comprise up to 60 percent of China’s entire prison population. Up to half of all imprisoned journalists in China are Uyghur. Uyghurs are the most likely of all inmates to die in prison. Coercive family planning policies have led to an alarming crash in the number of Uyghur births, worse even than the rates during genocides in Cambodia and Rwanda. There is evidence that forced labor programs in the Uyghur Region are expanding. Expressions of faith and cultural identity have been criminalized. But the Party would have us believe that Uyghurs are “the happiest Muslims in the world.”

[...]

History as propaganda

Party-branded history forms the essence of day-to-day Party propaganda. A famous adage states that journalism is the first rough draft of history. Conversely in China, “journalism”—communications and propaganda—is dictated and proof-read by Party historians and ideologues.

[...]

Standalone Uyghur histories are not tolerated: Uyghurlar by poet and historian Turghun Almas was quickly banned after its release in 2010. In early 2022, Sattur Sawut, a historian who drew on previous official versions of the Uyghur Region’s past was given a suspended death sentence for a history book he compiled, and three of his associates were given life sentences.

The Party-line history insists that the Uyghur Region has been part of “the Motherland” since the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), and that the Uyghur people—along with all ethnicities in the Uyghur Region—have been “members of the same big family” ever since. In other words, the Uyghur people, their land and their culture are all just scions of a greater Chinese entity. The absurd use of the metaphor of a pomegranate to describe the closeness of all ethnic people in the region is far more descriptive of Uyghurs crammed into prison cells.

And it is the CCP’s mission to wrench the Uyghur people into a state of being that affirms this telling of history as narrated by the propaganda which largely fuels human rights atrocities in the region.

[...]

The Great Chinese Famine [between 1958 and 1962] is widely regarded as the worst man-made disaster in human history. Absurdly ambitious agricultural policies were pursued to ridiculous lengths. Claims of outrageously high crop yields were championed by the Party, which then turned a willfully blind eye to the devastation their policies caused to food production. Even as people starved to death in plain sight the Party’s focus was instead on celebrating its own genius and exacting brutal recrimination against anyone who dared doubt it.

Estimates for the numbers of people who died in the famine vary between 2.6 and 55 million. One of the most rigorous studies—Tombstone: The Great Chinese Famine, 1958-1962 by former Xinhua journalist Yang Jisheng—estimates 36 million people died while another 40 million “failed to be born” due to falling birthrates.

Yang quotes Lu Baoguo, a Xinhua journalist at the time, who recounts: “In the second half of 1959, I took a long-distance bus from Xinyang to Luoshan and Gushi [in Henan Province]. Out of the window, I saw one corpse after another in the ditches. On the bus, no one dared to mention the dead.”

More than 60 years later, official accounts of the period gloss over the famine as “The Three Years of Hardship” (三年困难时期). At the time of writing, the top result from a Google search of the “gov.cn” domain using the term “The Three Years of Hardship” is a 2015 article from the “Party History Research Office of the CCP Yueyang Municipal Committee” in Hunan, which states: “In 1959, 1960, and 1961, there were three consecutive years of natural disasters coupled with the Soviet Union’s debt collection and leftist ideological interference, and the country entered a difficult period and the people lived in hardship.”2

The famine is “completely absent” from China’s history textbooks; Yang Jisheng hasn’t been permitted to leave China to accept awards for Tombstone, which hasn’t even been published in China.

Continuing to whitewash and doctor the historical record will inevitably form the foundation of the CCP’s future propaganda strategy on East Turkistan. Given the framing of the Great Chinese Famine, the closest the Party may ever come to acknowledging, for example, the astronomical rates of Uyghur imprisonment—up to one in 17 adults—will be a similarly trivializing non-confession: “The Party displayed an abundance of caution in the face of challenging domestic and international pressures, which led in some areas to an over-enthusiasm for intensive education measures.”

[...]

**The Tiananmen Massacre, June 3–4, 1989 **

The CCP Department of Propaganda’s central offices are a short tank-drive from Tiananmen Square itself—merely half a city block—and anyone there would certainly have witnessed the massacre, if they chose to.4

It’s well-known that the Department of Propaganda is adept at flooding online spaces with counter narratives and disinformation. However, the department’s other primary function is brute censorship. Every year around the anniversary of the massacre, huge volumes of material attempting to discuss or memorialize events are liable to be wiped from China’s cyberspace.

Online postings containing any one of hundreds of keywords are considered suspect. Some of the keywords are obvious: “tank man” or even just “tank,” for example. Others are a stark demonstration of the CCP’s nervousness: postings containing “candle” are suspect because some of the bereaved light candles in memory of those killed. Still other keywords are evidence of people’s ingenuity and determination to memorialize the massacre: posts containing the otherwise meaningless characters 占占点 are deleted because the characters are intended as a pictogram of tanks rolling over people.

That the Party was willing to turn the military forces of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army against unarmed Chinese citizens was a shock that still reverberates around the country 35 years on. And whereas the Party’s stance on other events may have softened over the years – some incidents are “reassessed” by Party historians and individuals once vilified are posthumously “rehabilitated” – there has been no significant deviation in the Party’s refusal to countenance any kind of public accounting for the Tiananmen Massacre.

[...]

Conclusion

The CCP employs—and will undoubtedly continue to employ—various tried and tested propaganda strategies in East Turkistan. The lesson from the Great Leap Forward is how to make the record invisible, the Cultural Revolution is a lesson in blaming others, and the Tiananmen Massacre a lesson in outright denial and the utility of the delete key. These same strategies are evident in other atrocities not covered in this article: the decimation of Tibet, the murderous campaign against Falun Gong, or the Party’s mishandling of the Covid outbreak, to name but a few.

The continuation of a people’s culture depends on the validity of their memories and experience. The challenge of maintaining the integrity of Uyghur identity is falling ever harder on the diaspora, notwithstanding the CCP’s concerted efforts to harass and silence Uyghurs abroad. This is a mission that’s well understood in the diaspora and among their supporters, but greater assistance against Beijing’s vast propaganda machine is always welcome.

Propaganda is neither a science nor an art, and for over a century there has been no true innovation in Chinese propaganda. The paradigm shifts of digital media and mass communications haven’t altered the basic impulse: dominate or destroy narratives in support of ulterior motives. As Chairman Mao put it, “Make the past serve the present.” But perhaps Churchill put it more succinctly: “History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.”

The Chinese government maintained its systematic suppression of human rights across the country in 2024, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2025. Repression was especially severe in Tibetan areas and for the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, and the authorities further dismantled Hong Kong’s basic freedoms.

For the 546-page world report, in its 35th edition, Human Rights Watch reviewed human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In much of the world, Executive Director Tirana Hassan writes in her introductory essay, governments cracked down and wrongfully arrested and imprisoned political opponents, activists, and journalists. Armed groups and government forces unlawfully killed civilians, drove many from their homes, and blocked access to humanitarian aid. In many of the more than 70 national elections in 2024, authoritarian leaders gained ground with their discriminatory rhetoric and policies.

“From freedom of expression to religious freedoms, the Chinese government has kept a chokehold over the country throughout 2024,” said Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch. “The Chinese government has further tightened abusive laws and imprisoned critics and rights defenders, while making it increasingly difficult to report on government abuses throughout the country.”

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Cross posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/18047893

Austrian digital rights organization noyb led by Max Schrems has filed GDPR complaints against TikTok, AliExpress, SHEIN, Temu, WeChat and Xiaomi for unlawful data transfers to China. While four of them openly admit to sending Europeans’ personal data to China, the other two say that they transfer data to undisclosed “third countries”.

As none of the companies responded adequately to the complainants’ access requests, we have to assume that this includes China. But EU law is clear: data transfers outside the EU are only allowed if the destination country doesn’t undermine the protection of data. Given that China is an authoritarian surveillance state, companies can’t realistically shield EU users’ data from access by the Chinese government. After issues around US government access, the rise of Chinese apps opens a new front for EU data protection law.

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According to Sikyong Penpa Tsering, President of the Tibetan government-in-exile, the sharp decline in Tibetan arrivals is attributed to increased Chinese control following the 2008 uprising. Tsering also pointed to demographic shifts in Tibet, noting that there are fewer children due to reduced family sizes.

Speaking to ANI, President of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Sikyong Penpa Tsering said, "Just like any other community, the Tibetan diaspora community is also facing a lot of social and demographic change. One reason is, of course, from 1959-60 people proceeded or followed His Holiness the Dalai Lama--about 80-85 thousand Tibetans who came to India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Then till about the early 80s, there was no movement from Tibet at all, and from the early 80s onwards, some Tibetans were coming out during Hua Guofeng's time, and then from the 90s and year 2000, there were quite many Tibetans coming out up to 2008. We used to receive any number between 2,500 to 3,500 Tibetans every year. Most of them were young children who were left behind to study in India, not knowing whether they would be able to meet their families again or not."

This drastic decline has resulted in the Tibetan Reception Centre in Khaniyara village near Dharamshala standing largely vacant.

[...]

"After the 2008 uprising in Tibet, there was more control inside Tibet, and there may be other reasons why those things are happening. After Xi Jinping came into power, the control over the whole of China, more particularly over the Tibetan people, has been very strong, and even small variables like tourist guides who have been bringing these people over the Himalayas by taking money--have also been removed from Lhasa, as a lot more pressure on the Nepalese government," said Tsering.

[...]

Tsering highlighted efforts in Western countries to create new compact communities. "The larger number of Tibetans are in North America, Europe, Australia--all these countries. So there have been some initiatives from some Tibetans, particularly in Manasota, where we are talking about at least 3,000 to 5,000 Tibetans. They are planning to acquire about 80 acres of land to accommodate about 300 families where the compact Tibetan communities [can thrive]. Another group is also planning to open a charter school for Tibetans. These are new ecosystems within the Tibetan community," he said.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/18029055

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• Chinese commercial banks have flocked to buying government bonds as Beijing's stimulus push has failed to spur consumers loan demand.
• Total new yuan loans in the 11 months through to November 2024 fell over 20% to 17.1 trillion yuan ($2.33 trillion) from a year ago, according to data released by the People's Bank of China.
• Chinese sovereign bonds have seen a strong rally since December, with yields plunging to all-time lows this month.

With consumers and businesses gloomy about the prospects of the world's second-largest economy, loan growth has stalled. Beijing's stimulus push has so far not been able to spur consumer credit demand, and is yet to spark any meaningful rebound in the faltering economy.

So what do banks do with their cash? Buy government bonds.

Chinese sovereign bonds have seen a strong rally since December, with 10-year yields plunging to all-time lows this month, dropping by about 34 basis points, according to LSEG data.

"The lack of strong consumer and business loan demand has led the capital flows into the sovereign bonds market," said Edmund Goh, investment director of fixed income at abrdn in Singapore.

That said, "the biggest problem onshore is a lack of assets to invest," he added, as "there are no signs that China can get out of deflation at the moment."

[...]

"There is still a lack of quality borrowing demand as private enterprises remain cautious with approving new investments and households are also tightening purse strings," said Lynn Song, chief economist at ING.

[...]

The slowdown in loans comes as mortgages, which used to fuel credit demand, are still in the stage of bottoming, said Andy Maynard, managing director and head of equities at China Renaissance.

Chinese onshore investors have to contend with a lack of "investable asset to put money in, both in financial market and in physical market," he added.

[...]

Zong Ke [portfolio manager at Shanghai-based asset manager Wequant] said the current policy interventions are merely "efforts to prevent economic collapse and cushion against external shocks" and "simply to avoid a freefall."

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cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/18019990

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China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is now over a decade old. Since BRI’s inception in 2013, Beijing has pumped in $1 trillion in pledged investments. That includes $634 billion in construction contracts and $419 billion in non-financial investments, according to a 2023 report by the Green Finance & Development Center. The money, peppered across projects in as many as 140 countries, is ostensibly intended to build infrastructure that can boost a country’s trade with China.

The Dragon has worked hard to portray the initiative as one of modern history’s most ambitious connectivity projects. But portrayal and on-ground reality are different.

[...]

On the surface, BRI is a beacon of development for developing countries. Under this umbrella, Chinese loans finance large-scale infrastructure projects like ports, railways, highways, and energy facilities.

[...]

Under the surface, these loans are built on opaque agreements, high interest rates, and a lack of rigorous project feasibility assessments. The underlying strategy, critics argue, is clear: Extend credit to debt-distressed nations, knowing that repayment difficulties will compel concessions that favour Beijing’s strategic interests.

From control over critical infrastructure to enhanced geopolitical leverage, China’s gains often come at the expense of the borrower’s sovereignty.

This is the debt-trap diplomacy. And the pattern is everywhere—from Asia to Africa.

[...]

The debt-trap diplomacy thesis arose directly from Sri Lanka’s experience with the Hambantota Port. Sri Lanka’s former President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, had dreamed of transforming a small fishing town into a major shipping hub. Rajapaksa secured loans worth over $1 billion from China’s Exim Bank between 2007 and 2012 to fulfil the dream. Then came trouble.

In 2017, unable to repay Chinese loans, Colombo was forced to lease the port to a Chinese company for 99 years.

The false promise of development led to a strategic asset in the country being leased to the regional bully for a century. This arrangement raised concerns about the erosion of economic sovereignty and the geopolitical implications of such dependency in the Indian Ocean region.

[...]

Pakistan, too, saw a similar result after choosing to rely on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship BRI initiative.

With investments exceeding $60 billion, CPEC aimed to revolutionise Pakistan’s infrastructure and energy landscape. The power plants built using this funding generate enough electricity for Pakistan to use, and then some [...] However, under CPEC, Pakistan agreed to repay Chinese state companies not only the costs of building power plants but also guaranteed dollar-based returns of up to 34%, regardless of whether the electricity was consumed [...] The problem is not just of the energy infrastructure. The strategic Gwadar Port—once touted as a cornerstone of Pakistan’s economic revival—remains underutilised. It only serves as a symbol of Chinese influence, not a beacon of national development.

The trap works.

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Across Africa too, the BRI has worked well (for China).

In Kenya, the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project—funded by Chinese loans—was envisioned as a catalyst for regional integration. Instead, it has become a cautionary tale. With limited freight demand and operational inefficiencies, the SGR has failed to justify its $4.7 billion price tag, leaving Nairobi grappling with a mounting debt burden.

Countries like Zambia and Djibouti now face debt levels that limit their fiscal flexibility and undermine domestic priorities.

[...]

The BRI is much more than a bundle of economic harm, though. It’s about access and power for China. From ports in Sri Lanka to railways in Kenya, Beijing’s control over critical infrastructure extends beyond economic transactions.

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These assets can serve dual purposes, vastly advantageous for China’s aggressive military and strategic positioning, the likes of which have already been seen in the South China Sea (SCS) and the Indian Ocean. The cost of BRI participation is measured not only in dollars, but also in compromised autonomy.

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Unofficial sources have been stated to suggest that at least 100 people have died in one township as a result of the devastating earthquake that hit Tibet’s Mt Everest county of Dingri in Shigatse City on Jan 7 morning, casting doubts on China’s official claim of a total of 126 known casualties thus far. The doubt is reinforced by China’s total ban on access to the affected region for everyone, including the independent media, except for government dispatched rescue groups.

Suggesting that at least 100 deaths had occurred in the county’s Dramtso township alone, which has ten villages – including Senga (Zingkar, the Township headquarter), Gurong (Guring), and Chajiang – the Tibetan service of rfa.org Jan 10 said, based on Tibetan sources, that it was among the worst affected. China’s official media had mentioned the epicentre Tsogo (with seven villages) and Chulho too among the worst affected townships in Dingri county.

[...]

While determining the exact death toll is currently very challenging, “everybody is sceptical of the official death toll, but we have no way to know the actual figures,” [...] a resident of Tibet’s capital Lhasa [is] saying.

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The available pictures of the disaster, which show rescue personnel actively helping victims, are mostly, if not all, those taken and released by China’s official media. This is because China is reported to prohibit individuals from taking pictures or videos, with police being deployed to monitor aid workers to ensure compliance. Independent media continues to remain banned from Tibet.

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Tibetans from across the region attempting to rush assistance were being blocked at various newly set up checkpoints, with authorities requiring permits for entry. They are said to be required to hand over to Chinese authorities all aid materials for distribution, leaving volunteers unable to directly provide support to those in need. As a result, mountains of relief and aid materials donated for the earthquake victims are stated to be piled up at the government’s local disaster relief management centre in Dingri county.

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A Philippine security official said Tuesday that China is “pushing us to the wall” with growing aggression in the disputed South China Sea and warned that “all options are on the table” for Manila’s response, including new international lawsuits.

A large Chinese coast guard ship patrolled hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal in recent days and then sailed toward the northwestern coast of the Philippines on Tuesday, coming as close as 77 nautical miles (143 kilometers), Philippine officials said in a news conference.

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“You’re pushing us to the wall,” Malaya said of China. “We do not and will not dignify these scare tactics by backing down. We do not waver or cower in the face of intimidation. On the contrary, it strengthens our resolve because we know we are in the right.”

[...]

Two Philippine coast guard ships, backed by a small surveillance aircraft, repeatedly ordered the 165-meter (541-foot) Chinese coast guard ship to withdraw from the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, a 200-nautical mile (370-kilometer) stretch of water, Philippine coast guard Commodore Jay Tarriela said.

“What we’re doing there is, hour-by-hour and day-to-day, (we’re) challenging the illegal presence of the Chinese coast guard for the international community to know that we’re not going to allow China to normalize the illegal deployment,” Tarriela said.

[...]

The Philippines has aggressively defended its territorial interests in the South China Sea, a key global trading route. That has brought Philippine forces into frequent confrontations with China’s coast guard, navy and suspected militia boats and sparked fears that a bigger armed conflict could draw in the United States, the Philippines’ longtime treaty ally and China’s regional rival.

The lopsided conflict has forced the Philippines to seek security arrangements with other Asian and Western countries, including Japan, with which it signed a key agreement last July which would allow their forces to hold joint combat training. The pact, which must be ratified by lawmakers of both countries before it takes effect, was the first such agreement to be forged by Japan in Asia.

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cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/18015161

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Here is the report (pdf)

Advancements in AI and biometrics by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) pose significant risks to global security, particularly to the United States and Western nations, according to an unclassified report from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

The nearly 200-page DOD report to Congress, Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China, details how the PRC’s strategic integration of AI and biometric technologies into national security, military modernization, and global influence operations threatens U.S. and Western security.

The report warns that “PRC leaders … power to shape world events continues to grow, presenting ‘new strategic opportunities’ to create an environment favorable for PRC interests and national rejuvenation.” The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) defines “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” as a state in which the PRC is “prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful.”

National rejuvenation, however, DOD emphases, “requires the PRC to ‘take an active part in leading the reform of the global governance system’ since many rules and norms were established, in the PRC’s view, during a time of PRC weakness and without the PRC’s consultation and input.”

[...]

The PRC views AI as being pivotal to its future warfare capabilities and global influence. According to DOD, “The PRC aims to overtake the West in AI R&D by 2025 to become the world leader in AI by 2030. The PRC has designated AI as a priority, national-level S&T development area and assesses that advances in AI and autonomy are central to ‘intelligentized warfare,’ the PRC’s concept of future warfare.”

This strategy includes leveraging AI to enhance cyber operations, such as reconnaissance, deepfake generation, misinformation campaigns, and state-sponsored hacking to acquire a waterfront of sensitive information, including personal data that it can use to blackmail and coerce targeted individuals. DOD says, “the PRC presents a significant, persistent cyber-enabled espionage and attack threat.” Conversely, DOD says the CCP Party Congress has “stressed the CCP’s need to prevent digital penetration, sabotage, subversion, and separatism activities from external actors.”

[...]

Under its Military-Civil Fusion initiative, the PRC seeks to integrate civilian and military innovation ecosystems to develop cutting-edge AI-enabled military capabilities. DOD says, “Beijing views the integration of military and civilian institutions as central for developing AI-enabled military capabilities and has established military-civilian R&D centers and procured commercially developed AI … to ensure PLA access to cutting-edge AI technologies.”

[...]

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/18015158

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Chinese game 'Marvel' has been accused of censorship after players of its new video game were unable to chat about topics that are banned in China.

Marvel Rivals is a new release featuring battles between heroic characters such as Captain America and Iron Man and the villains Loki and Venom. The plot revolves around Doctor Doom and his future counterpart Doom 2099.

The game was developed by Marvel in conjunction with the Chinese developer NetEase and released in December. However, players have been blocked from typing in words such as “Tiananmen Square” and “Wuhan virus” in the chat function. They are met with the warning: “text contains inappropriate content”.

Marvel Rivals game artwork featuring Iron Man, Spider-Man, and other characters.

Other restricted phrases include “free Taiwan”, “free Hong Kong”, “free Tibet”, “Taiwan is a country”, “Taiwan No 1” and even “1989”, the year of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Chatting about Mao Zedong or the Dalai Lama is also banned.

Winnie-the-Pooh, a name associated with President Xi, is blocked. Xi was compared to the character after appearing in a photograph with Barack Obama in 2017.

Popular gamers have posted videos of themselves trying to type in the words. Asmongold, the YouTuber, is allowed to type in the words “Taiwan sucks” and “Taiwan is bad” only to be blocked when trying “free Taiwan”. At the end of the video he added sarcastically: “Marvel Rivals is a very interesting game that has no censorship at all and lets people think whatever they want and that’s just the way it is guys.”

[...]

China has a long history of censoring the content of video games and films for the domestic market. The Second World War strategy game Hearts of Iron was banned for depicting Tibet, Manchuria and Xinjiang as independent nations. Command & Conquer: Generals, a game depicting a hypothetical Third World War, was said to “smear the image of China and the Chinese army”.

Marvel has also been accused of altering films so they would be accepted in the Chinese market. In the 2016 film Doctor Strange the main character is trained by a Celtic woman played by Tilda Swinton rather than a Tibetan monk who appeared in the original comics. A screenwriter claimed it was to appease the Chinese authorities and Marvel later admitted the move was a mistake.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/18005398

The value of China's imports and exports with Russia reached 1.74 trillion yuan ($237 billion) in 2024, a record high, Chinese customs data showed.

[...]

China-Russia yuan-denominated trade value grew 2.9% in 2024 from 2023, according to the data by China's General Administration of Customs. The growth was significantly slower than the 32.7% gain in 2023.

Bilateral trade was disrupted by payment hurdles last year after the United States intensified sanctions on banks dealing with Russia, Reuters previously reported.

[...]

In dollar terms, China-Russia two-way trade value reached $244.8 billion, compared with $240.1 billion in 2023, Chinese customs data showed.

In an exchange of New Year greetings with Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Dec. 31 that China and Russia have always moved forward "hand in hand" on the right path.

[However, a video was circulating on Chinese social media, promoting China conquering parts of Siberia up.]

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/18001576

[...]

"If there are 31 days in a month, I will work 31 days," one [Shein] worker said.

Most said they only have one day off a month.

The BBC spent several days here: we visited 10 factories, spoke to four owners and more than 20 workers. We also spent time at labour markets and textile suppliers.

We found that the beating heart of this empire is a workforce sitting behind sewing machines for around 75 hours a week in contravention of Chinese labour laws.

These hours are not unusual in Guangzhou, an industrial hub for rural workers in search of a higher income; or in China, which has long been the world's unrivalled factory.

But they add to a growing list of questions about Shein, once a little-known Chinese-founded company that has become a global behemoth in just over five years.

Still privately-owned, it was valued at about £54bn ($66bn) in a fundraising round in 2023. It is now eyeing a potential listing on the London Stock Exchange.

Its meteoric rise, however, has been dogged with controversy about its treatment of workers and allegations of forced labour.

Last year it admitted to finding children working in its factories in China.

[...]

"We usually work, 10, 11 or 12 hours a day," says a 49-year-old woman from Jiangxi unwilling to give her name. "On Sundays we work around three hours less."

[...]

"We earn so little. The cost of living is now so high," she says, adding that she hopes to make enough to send back to her two children who are living with their grandparents.

[...]

Standard working hours appear to be from 08:00 to well past 22:00, the BBC found.

This is consistent with a report from the Swiss advocacy group Public Eye, which was based on interviews with 13 textile workers at factories producing clothes for Shein.

They found that a number of staff were working excessive overtime. It noted the basic wage without overtime was 2,400 yuan (£265; $327) - below the 6,512 yuan the Asia Floor Wage Alliance says is needed for a "living wage". But the workers we spoke to managed to earn anywhere between 4,000 and 10,000 yuan a month.

"These hours are not unusual, but it's clear that it's illegal and it violates basic human rights," said David Hachfield from the group. "It's an extreme form of exploitation and this needs to be visible."

[...]

The machines dictate the rhythm of the day.

They pause for lunch and dinner when the workers, metal plates and chopsticks in hand, file into the canteen to buy food. If there is no more space to sit, they stand in the street.

"I've been working in these factories for more than 40 years," said one woman who spent just 20 minutes eating her meal. This was just another day for her.

[...]

One of the biggest challenges Shein faces is accusations that it sources cotton from China's Xinjiang region.

Once touted as among the world's best fabric, Xinjiang's cotton has fallen out of favour after allegations that it is produced using forced labour by people from the Muslim Uyghur minority - a charge that Beijing has consistently denied.

The only way to get around this criticism is to be more transparent, Prof Sheng [Lu, scholar for Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware in the U.S.] says.

"Unless you fully release your factory list, unless you make your supply chain more transparent to the public, then I think it's going to be very challenging for Shein."

[...]

"Shein has its pros and cons," one factory owner told us. "The good thing is the order is eventually big, but profit is low and it's fixed."

Shein, given its size and influence, is a hard bargainer. So factory owners have to cut costs elsewhere, often resulting in lower staff wages.

[...]

Chinese spy prosecutions in Taiwan tripled in four years: Taipei found evidence the CCP was seeking snipers in Taiwan to target members of the military and foreign organizations in the event of an invasion

The number of Chinese spies prosecuted in Taiwan has grown threefold over a four-year period, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report released yesterday.

In 2021 and 2022, 16 and 10 spies were prosecuted respectively, but that number grew to 64 last year, it said, adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was working with gangs in Taiwan to develop a network of armed spies.

Spies in Taiwan have on behalf of the CCP used a variety of channels and methods to infiltrate all sectors of the country, and recruited Taiwanese to cooperate in developing organizations and obtaining sensitive information from Taiwan’s government, the report said.

[...]

The CCP infiltrates Taiwan through engagement with local gangs, illegal private money lenders, shell companies, religious groups and nonprofit organizations, the report said.

The CCP seeks operatives in Taiwan by building network connections, using financial incentives, coercing people with debt, and infiltrating military, government and civil society organizations, it said, adding that China also tries to interfere with elections in Taiwan.

The NSB said it has found evidence that gangs recruited by the CCP were asked to raise Chinese flags and engage in armed insurrection in the event of an attempted invasion by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

The insurrection plans called for trained snipers in Taiwan to attack members of the military and foreign organizations, the report said.

It also called for military personnel to fly helicopters to China to surrender during an invasion and to hand over Taiwan’s defense plans to the CCP ahead of such an invasion, it said.

[...]

Prosecutions and conviction rates of spies have increased, and last year, investigators cracked a spy ring involving 23 people and sentenced one spy to 20 years of imprisonment, the report said.

The detection of espionage has been helped in the past few years by clues provided by military officers and soldiers, and the public, which showed that public awareness of security issues has greatly increased, it added.

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/18000632

Sunac China shares and bonds plunged on Friday after a liquidation petition was filed against the developer, reigniting investor concerns about the debt crisis in the property sector despite Beijing's revival measures.

The petition, filed by a unit of state-owned asset manager China Cinda Asset Management, also deepened worries over Sunac's business recovery and repayment ability despite an offshore debt restructuring it completed in 2023.

A hearing is scheduled for March 19, the Hong Kong judiciary's website showed late on Thursday.

Many mainland developers, including China Evergrande and Country Garden, have faced or are currently facing liquidation cases in Hong Kong since the property sector was hit by a liquidity crunch in 2021.

But petitions have rarely been filed by state-owned companies and China Cinda's was made despite Beijing's pledges to stabilise the struggling property sector and the stock market. Calls to the petitioner, China Cinda (HK) Asset Management, went unanswered on Friday.

[...]

"I'm not surprised by the petition," said Alvin Cheung, associate director of Prudential Brokerage Ltd in Hong Kong. "Chinese developers are not making much money, while they have to keep repaying a lot of debt."

Sunac, which reported total borrowings of 277.4 billion yuan ($37.83 billion) as of the end of June in its interim financial results, is also working to restructure $2.1 billion of yuan-denominated bonds.

Chinese property stocks were down on Friday, with Cheung pointing to growing concerns about further defaults.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/18000580

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/18000579

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/18000578

Archived link

Ed Miliband is facing demands to introduce new measures to stop Britain using solar panels made by the Uighurs, an oppressed Muslim minority in western China, as part of his race towards net zero.

A cross-party group of peers has called for the energy secretary to introduce safeguards that prevent UK renewable energy companies from importing Chinese components made by slave labour.

It comes as the House of Lords debates Labour’s flagship legislation to establish Great British Energy, a publicly-owned company that will help deliver the government’s green transition.

Senior parliamentarians are concerned about the supply chains of renewable energy companies, many of which rely on products from China. In particular, there are questions around solar panels, which often contain polysilicon. Nearly half of the world’s solar-grade polysilicon is produced in the Xinjiang region of China where more than 2.6 million people, mostly from the Uighur ethnic group, have been subjected to forced labour in detention camps.

Academics, politicians and human rights groups have long warned that forced labour is rife there, including in the sourcing of polysilicon, with 11 companies in the region identified as being engaged in forced labour transfers.

[...]

To prevent UK energy supply chains being tainted by forced labour, a group of peers has now tabled an amendment to the bill, which, if approved, would prevent any public funds being given to companies involved with GB Energy where there is “credible evidence of modern slavery in the supply chain”.

[...]

Luke de Pulford, the executive director of Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said: “Labour has gone from an admirably strong position on the persecution of Uighurs to energy policies which facilitate it. It’s an absolute 180 in policy terms. Now the chancellor is in Beijing meeting with China’s génocidaires.

“Whatever the economic imperative, the consciences of politicians across both Houses should not permit the rush to net zero to be achieved on the back of Uighur slavery.”

[...]

Cross posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/17993128

Archived link

In the heart of bustling Bangkok, a grim drama is unfolding—a story that has gripped not just Thailand but has echoed around the world due to its dire human rights implications. A group of 43 Uyghur men is trapped in a limbo that has lasted for over a decade. These men, hailing from China’s Xinjiang region, have long been stranded in a place few would willingly choose to stay: the Suan Phlu immigration detention center. Their story is a complex tapestry woven with threads of desperation, international politics, and human rights concerns, and it urgently demands our attention.

For more than ten years, these individuals have been stuck in Thailand after fleeing what activists describe as severe repression in China. Their goal? To reach Turkey, which historically has been a sanctuary for Uyghur refugees. Sadly, fate and bureaucratic entanglements have kept them detained in Thailand in conditions that are harsh to say the least. According to the detainees’ pleas, documented in a letter to the Thai government and obtained by the Associated Press, they now face the terrifying prospect of deportation back to China. Such a move, they warn, could spell out a grim destiny involving imprisonment, persecution, and even death.

[...]

Archived link

In yet another blatant display of coercion, China has invoked its rarely enforced 1984 Military Service Law in the Tibetan county of Ruthog, Ngari Prefecture. This move, ostensibly aimed at bolstering the ranks of the struggling People’s Liberation Army (PLA), exposes Beijing’s growing desperation to mask its internal military dysfunction. Ruthog, strategically located near the India-China border, has become the latest pawn in China’s aggressive and exploitative campaign to conscript Tibetan youths, under the pretext of national service.

Despite its ostentatious displays of military might, the PLA is grappling with an increasingly evident crisis. China’s reliance on voluntary enlistment has crumbled under the weight of strict recruitment standards, gruelling service conditions, and widespread discontent. Reports indicate a mass exodus of soldiers opting for early retirement, particularly from harsh deployments in Tibet and Xinjiang.

Instead of addressing the root causes of dissatisfaction within its military ranks, Beijing has chosen the path of least resistance—targeting minority populations like Tibetans. The PLA’s inability to attract willing recruits from its Han-majority population speaks volumes about the morale and disillusionment within the force.

[...]

For Tibetans, this is not an “opportunity” but a grim reality. Decades of political and cultural repression under Beijing have eroded any trust in the Chinese government. Enlisting in the PLA is not a matter of pride for Tibetans; it’s a survival tactic under duress.

[...]

Beijing’s rhetoric about economic development is as hollow as its promises to Tibetans. These projects serve one purpose: to create a militarized buffer zone against India. The PLA’s outreach to Tibetan youths—through propagandist events and lectures—further underscores its intent to weaponize the region’s population in its geopolitical ambitions.

[...]

Beijing’s actions in Ruthog are a stark reminder that its vision of national security comes at the expense of its most vulnerable communities. The militarization of Tibet, coupled with the forced conscription of its youth, is yet another chapter in China’s long history of exploiting its minorities for political and military gain.

[...]

Cross posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/17980096

Archived version

China’s Broken Dreams: Debt, Joblessness, And Policy Missteps Shake The Global Economy

• Economy: China's growth was fueled by its manufacturing sector. Cheap labor, abundant raw materials, and lax pollution controls earned it the title of ‘the world's factory’. But, overcapacity and over-production have flooded domestic and international markets with cheap goods with few takers. It has led to falling prices and decreased profits.

• Indusrty: China's growth was fueled by its manufacturing sector. Cheap labor, abundant raw materials, and lax pollution controls earned it the title of ‘the world's factory’. But, overcapacity and over-production have flooded domestic and international markets with cheap goods with few takers. It has led to falling prices and decreased profits.

• Real estate: Oversupply extends to sectors beyond manufacturing. About 70% of the wealth and savings of millions of Chinese households are tied up in property. Homeownership is a status symbol and is perceived as financial security. However, many real estate developers, large and small, have filed for bankruptcy in the past few years. The meltdown has wiped out the investments of thousands of Chinese citizens and put local governments under tremendous financial strain.

• Local government debt: The massive debt carried by the local governments is a ticking time bomb. In China, local government bodies are in charge of implementing Beijing's policies. To meet the national targets, local governments set up companies called local government financial vehicles (LGFVs) and borrow from Chinese banks to fund infrastructure, real estate, and other projects. The borrowings of such entities have skyrocketed over the decades, and many are now unable to service their debts. According to some estimates, local government debt is in the region of $7 trillion to $11 trillion.

The citizens are growing resentful of the establishment. The country witnessed rare public protests against the prolonged lockdowns. Unemployment and discontent among the youth are creating a generation of Chinese disillusioned with the Party and the authoritarian regime.

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/17965033

Ahead of Rachel Reeves’ expected visit to China, which comes in the wake of arrest warrants being issued for Hong Kong pro-democracy activists living in the UK, Amnesty International has urged the Chancellor to challenge the Chinese authorities over their brutal suppression of human rights and to ensure that human rights are central to any deals or agreements made during the trip.

[...]

“The Chancellor must challenge Beijing’s brutal suppression of human rights, including its persecution of Chinese and Hong Kong activists in the UK,", said Polly Truscott, Amnesty International’s UK Foreign Policy Adviser.

“Behind closed doors and in public, Ms Reeves needs to challenge the Chinese government over its systematic, industrial-scale repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet - including forced labour - and its widespread imprisonment of peaceful activists."

Amnesty also urges Ms Reeves to "demand the immediate release of British national and prisoner of conscience Jimmy Lai, human rights lawyer Chow Hang-tung and the 45 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists recently convicted of ‘conspiring to subvert state power’ in the city’s largest national security trial.”

[...]

The Chinese authorities routinely target peaceful critics via pervasive online censorship, arbitrary arrest, detention and torture. Human rights defenders, pro-democracy activists and religious leaders and practitioners have been among those subjected to systematic persecution. The widespread repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet has continued despite significant international criticism.

[...]

On 24 December, Hong Kong police announced a third round of HK$1million (about £105,000) bounties for information that would lead to the arrest of six democracy advocates based overseas whom they accuse of national security crimes. To date, 19 Hong Kong overseas activists have been targeted, most of whom live in the UK.

Archived link

The thermometer read over 30 degrees Celsius (around 90 Fahrenheit) in the early hours of December 23, when Brazilian authorities turned up at the construction site of car giant BYD's new factory in Camacari, in the northern state of Bahia.

MPT investigators told DW that they rescued 163 Chinese workers from "slavery-like" working conditions at the site.

In the dormitories of the Jinjiang Group, the company hired by BYD to carry out the work, there were no mattresses on the beds, and the few toilets served hundreds of workers in extremely unhygienic conditions. The workers also had food stored without refrigeration.

The Brazilian Labor Prosecutor's Office (MTP) also accused the companies of withholding the workers' passports and keeping 60% of their wages; the remaining 40% would be paid in Chinese currency.

After authorities claimed that the workers were victims of international human trafficking, the site was shut down. The factory had been due to open in 2025.

[...]

Experts [said] hat the case pits the importance of Chinese investment against upholding local standards.

"This action was all the more significant because it took place in a company that enjoys strong political support, both in the federal government and in Bahia, due to the importance of its investments in Brazil for President Lula's reindustrialization projects," said Mauricio Santoro, a political scientist and professor of international relations at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. China's overseas production in focus

On Tuesday, MPT investigators met with representatives of BYD and the companies involved in the construction.

All of the rescued workers have already received their termination payments and returned to China. A report on the inspection of the site will be completed next week, and compensation for the workers will be discussed at a subsequent meeting.

[...]

Using Chinese workers to build the BYD plant is similar to how Chinese multinationals operate in Africa and other Latin American countries, said Paulo Feldmann, an economist and professor at the FIA Business School in Sao Paulo.

The practice brings little benefit to the countries that receive the investment, he [said].

"For Brazil, it would have been better if these workers had been local, because of the income they would have generated for themselves and their families, the positive impact on their communities and the professional training they would have acquired. It would also be easier to monitor their working conditions," he said.

[...]

In the aftermath of the scandal, BYD and its contractor, Jinjiang Group, have denied the allegations. They called them part of a smear campaign against Chinese brands, a narrative supported by many Chinese nationalists.

[...]

But not everyone in China has accepted the idea of blaming "foreign forces."

Some Weibo users wrote that working conditions at BYD factory in Brazil were similar to those of construction workers in China. This sparked online discussions about how many workers in China could be living in conditions that are slavery-like by international standards.

The Chinese labor market is notorious for its so-called "996" work culture, which involves working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week, in violation of labor laws. This phenomenon is particularly prevalent in the technology sector.

"I stand with Brazil. Chinese workers are being ruthlessly exploited," one comment stated under a Weibo post paralleling the working conditions at BYD's Brazilian factory with those at local construction sites.

"I feel that domestic factories often don't treat people as humans, but rather as machines," another comment said.

[...]

Archived link

Over the past two years, a growing number of dramatic attempts to escape the People’s Republic of China have been covered by global news media. Some of the individuals in question successfully managed to find refuge and asylum, while others were – and unfortunately continue to be – sent back to China by Governments friendly or subservient to the CCP [Chineses Communist Party].

Often missing from these stories is the wider picture: each of these individuals – often human rights defenders – is but one in a rapid escalation of individuals desperate to leave China since Xi Jinping came to power.

Data released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) show a clear trend: between 2012 and mid-2024, over one million Chinese have sought asylum abroad.

The number is even more staggering considering the increasing exit controls (including exit bans) placed on determinate categories of Chinese citizens by Chinese authorities. The continuing upward trend also serves as a stark reminder that China’s domestic human rights abuse is not the mere “internal affair” as it so often likes to claim.

Highlights:

[...]

• The number of asylum seekers in 2024 is up 169% compared with the Pre-Covid period (2019: 104,259)

• The number of asylum seekers in 2024 is up 1426% compared with the year Xi Jinping rose to power (2012: 12,362)

• In 2024, the number of Chinese asylum seekers since Xi Jinping took power in 2012 broke the one million mark (2012-2024: 1,158,739).

• To put things into perspective: in 2022 alone, the number of Chinese asylum-seekers abroad was the same as during the entire 10-year Hu Jintao era.

[...]

Data for 2021: the United States remained by far the most popular choice, with 88,722 persons seeking asylum there. The only other place that has been consistently popular is Australia, with 15,774 Chinese asylum-seekers last year.

Canada, Brazil, South Korea, and the UK also saw thousands of Chinese asylum-seekers.

Europe was far less popular, with Spain taking in 900, compared to Germany’s 379 and France’s 248. Other European countries, as well as most Asian and African countries, received almost no requests in 2021.

[...]