Internet Censorship In China

China is a global behemoth in the modern world. It is one of the biggest nations in the world with the highest population and one of the strongest economies today. Their military force is one of the strongest as well, with numerous skilled soldiers equipped with the most advanced equipment and munitions. It seems that China has it all. And perhaps it does. The nation is also blessed with a rich history, culture, and the arts along with some breathtaking scenery both natural and man-made.

However, they may be just smokescreens to more pressing yet seldom talked about issues regarding real life in China. Chinese citizens do not enjoy many rights and they have no choice but to obey everything the government says or risk persecution. Life isn’t easy for the ordinary Chinese who not only has to deal with constant human right abuses from people in authority but likewise live in poverty in densely populated and polluted cities. But while their conditions are poor and human right abuses are the norm, they seldom complain because that’s just their way of life. After all, they know so little about life outside the great walls of their nation because the government imposes extreme Internet censorship and its citizens have little use of the World Wide Web so far.

Everyone knows that China has some of the most sophisticated censorship tools in the world, but the details of how they actually work — what they censor and when — are often not fully understood. A new report by Citizen Lab, a research group studying the web, human rights, and global security, sheds some light on one particularly fruitful target for Chinese censorship: mobile messaging.

Citizen Lab looked at how the Chinese government censors discussion on WeChat, a popular messaging app. WeChat is the fourth biggest messaging service in the world, with more than 768 million active users, but is also deeply embedded in Chinese society, where it’s used not only for chatting, but for tasks like banking, paying bills, booking holidays, calling cabs, and much more.

The cornerstone of WeChat censorship is keyword filtering, which blocks messages that contain terms like “human rights,” “mass arrest,” and “spiritual freedom.” However, Citizen Lab found that the censors don’t just block messages containing any one specific phrase, but instead look for combinations of different terms. So you can send a message with the words “human rights lawyer” in it, but if you combine that with the name of a specific lawyer — Jiang Tianyong, who was recently “disappeared” by the government — the message is blocked.

When a message is censored, users are not notified of this fact. They see it as sent in their own app, but it just never reaches its intended recipient. The system works by examining every message that is sent when it passes through WeChat’s servers. The list of filtered keywords is also reactive, and changes in relation to the news; and only to WeChat accounts using mobile phone numbers registered in the Chinese mainland. Citizen Lab says much of the censorship on WeChat is currently focused around the “709 Crackdown” — a series of arrests against civil dissenters that began on the 9th of July 2015 (hence the name).

(Via: https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/18/15337660/chinese-web-censorship-wechat-messages)

If you live in a free country anywhere in the world, learning about these things can shock you. You’d probably wonder how people live with such restrictions in this modern day and age. But that is just the way it is in China. The people don’t even know what they are missing out on because the government is very good in limiting their access to the web and are prompt in addressing potentially problematic issues in their infancy. No wonder that Facebook and Twitter are not welcome in the Red Dragon of Asia. These social networks are notorious for controversial social and political remarks, discussions and arguments that may likely mess the internal equilibrium there is in China.

The mobile internet, accessed via smartphone, is capturing a growing share of daily time that adults in China spend on major media, according to eMarketer’s latest forecast.

In 2017, adults in China will spend an average of 1 hour 38 minutes with their smartphones. eMarketer has raised its previous estimates for time spent with smartphones by 7.4 minutes per day. This is largely due to the availability of cheaper smartphones with capabilities similar to flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy and the iPhone, which in turn has led to increased smartphone adoption and deeper engagement with the devices.

“As attention continues to migrate from offline to online formats and from desktop to mobile devices, advertising dollars, too, will shift,” said Shellen Shum, senior forecasting analyst at eMarketer. “Coupled with improvements in targeting and measurability, digital and mobile ad formats will continue to fare better than their counterparts in traditional media.”

Adults in China still spend less time on smartphones than they do with TV—but that gap is closing. eMarketer estimates that by 2019, adults will spend an average of 2 hours 9 minutes with their smartphones per day, just 25 minutes less than the average amount of time spent watching TV.

(Via: https://www.emarketer.com/Article/China-Time-Spent-on-Mobile-Internet-Continues-Grow/1015693)

But it seems that the Chinese government should work even harder as the threat of technology and everything that comes along with it is now reaching even rural areas in Mainland China. Freedom of speech, information and of the press is a popular concept that is heavily influenced by modern western democratic culture and societies. They are something that Chinese leaders don’t want their people to openly enjoy as it might trigger an uprising against the government. Chinese traditional media acts as puppets, only showing what the government wants the people to see and know of.

While the advent of the Internet posed a new and bigger challenge to the Chinese government, they managed to find a way to address this through the vast centralized censorship program. But if you look at it, what they are doing is even in clear violation of the Chinese Constitution itself that supports freedom of speech, publication, assembly, association, procession, and demonstration. But leave it to the Chinese to find a way to do whatever they want. The whole world remains as distant onlookers who will keep on guessing what is really going on in this powerful Asian nation.

The following article Internet Censorship In China is republished from CHRDNet Blog

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/09/29/internet-censorship-in-china/

China: Emerging Travel Hub In Asia

The world is getting smaller and smaller as the days go by. This is all due to technology and the power of the Internet. You’d often see photos and videos of various to-die-for places on social media and some even have corresponding budget travel packages for people who’d rather take the journey and make more happy memories in life than watch people live their lives to the fullest on the sidelines. And with the help of the web, ordinary tourists can make their way on various travels without ever needing professional help from travel agents.

And if there is a country worthy of being on anyone’s travel list, it has to be China. With a vast land area and numerous attractions to visit, you’ll never run out of ideas when traveling there. The Chinese economy is flourishing and it’s not just about making money on traditional industries, a lot of the money pouring into China also comes from tourism, both local and foreign tourists.

Airbnb may have stumbled slightly last week when it rolled out its new strategy for conquering the Chinese market – which included a doubling of its investment there and a flashy new name: Aibiying. This is where the problem lies. The name isn’t easy to say for Mandarin speakers, and many Chinese netizens have reacted negatively.

As one Weibo user put it: “Airbnb has given itself a stupid Chinese name, and even shot an MV (music video) for it. It is just like a foreigner trying to speak poor Chinese.” However, despite the name issue, Airbnb may actually be better positioned than other US tech companies that have tried (and failed) to crack China – most notably Uber.

First and foremost, there’s the sheer size – and growth potential – of the Chinese travel market. Tourist spending totalled $500bn in 2015 and is expected to more than double to $1.2tn by 2020, according to a China National Tourism Administration report.

Most of this travel is happening domestically, too. According to the report, the number of trips taken inside China reached a remarkable 4.1bn in 2015, an average annual growth of 10.2%.

(Via: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/mar/31/why-airbnb-well-placed-to-crack-china-holiday-rental-market-aibiying)

Although we are all aware how difficult it is to dominate the Chinese market because of strict government policies and censorship, Airbnb was able to overcome these challenges and position itself in the market not far away from local counterparts. What a feat, indeed. And there is more to gain for them as Chinese tourism is also on the rise with many infamous attractions you ought to visit in your lifetime.

Like a writhing dragon’s tail, the Great Wall of China snakes its way across China’s northern border. As its name suggests, the Great Wall is an imposing architectural marvel, and it’s often hailed as one of the greatest man-made wonders of the world.

The Great Wall of China’s history stretches back more than 2,000 years, to a time before China was even a unified country.

But the Great Wall of China isn’t really a single great wall. “The first thing to note,” travel expert Stan Godwyn told Travel + Leisure, “is that it’s actually a series of walls and fortifications.”

Godwyn typically arranges for clients to visit one of four main sections — Badaling (the most well-known and accessible for travelers of varying mobility), Mutianyu (well-restored but much less crowded), Simatai (a crumbling, rugged stretch of wall), and Jinshanling (for serious hikers).

Despite its cultural and historic importance, it wasn’t until 1987 that the Great Wall of China was listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

(Via: http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/the-great-wall-of-china#president-obama)

And no other Chinese attraction can beat the popularity of the Great Wall of China. Just seeing this sight alone is reason enough for many travelers to cross borders and travel to China at least once in their lives. After all, it is a sight to behold and the only manmade structure visible from space. Aside from the great wall, many other attractions and the chance to eat authentic Chinese food is worth a trip to the home of the Chinese and to plainly immerse in the culture as unique as theirs. And now is the perfect time to travel to this emerging travel hub in Asia with affordable flights and accommodation to help you afford the travel of your dreams.

The article China: Emerging Travel Hub In Asia was initially seen on https://chrdnet.org

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/09/22/china-emerging-travel-hub-in-asia/

China In Growing Conflict With North Korea

What used to be allies may soon be fast enemies. China and North Korea have been diplomatic allies for decades. They share the same uptight quality most Chinese and North Korean people possess and both have been a mystery to the world for a long time, although China stepped out of the dark and into the light and opened its doors to the rest of the world for quite some time now. Meanwhile, North Korea remains to be out of touch with reality and so little is known about what really goes on in this tiny yet proud nation.

However, not all good things last. China and North Korea may have enjoyed a friendly relationship in the past but that is gradually changing as China is increasingly worried about North Korea’s active and highly dangerous missile program. China is more vocal now about their concerns and this has not escaped the attention of the public. But the gradual severing of ties that is happening now between these two nations isn’t something new but actually started in 1992 when China established diplomatic relations with the home of the KWave, KPop and Kdrama, South Korea.

If we look at North Korea and South Korea, who is a friend of China and who is an enemy? Outwardly, China and North Korea are allies, while the United States and Japan support South Korea against North Korea.

That is a legacy of the Cold War. But I believe that after decades of contention and shifts in the international landscape, there has long been a fundamental transformation.

My basic conclusion is, judging by the current situation, North Korea is China’s latent enemy and South Korea could be China’s friend. To call North Korea a latent enemy of China means that, for now, this still has not come to the fore.

Diplomatically, when leaders of the two countries talk to each other, they do not use particularly hostile rhetoric. But that does not count. Do not look at the rhetoric. Look at fundamentalinterests.

Look at whether the fundamental interests of China and North Korea are aligned and consistent. Speaking in light of my own research into the history of the Chinese-North Korean relationship, China and North Korea really were friends and allies in the past. That was when the relationship was a special friendship created by Mao Zedong, Kim Il-sung and other senior Chinese and North Korean leaders.

When China and South Korea established diplomatic relations in 1992, that totally destroyed the political basis of the Chinese-North Korean relationship. By 1992, at the end of the Cold War, the Chinese-North Korean relationship and alliance created by the previous generation no longer existed.

Practically speaking, everything had changed in the relationship. In foreign policy, economics, politics, everything, the interests of China and North Korea had diverged, and the basis for an alliance had disintegrated.

The treaty of alliance between China and North Korea became a piece of scrap paper.

(Via: http://www.todayonline.com/commentary/why-north-korea-chinas-latent-enemy)

Basically, the close diplomatic relations between China and North Korea virtually disappeared when the former made peace with South Korea, a known enemy of North Korea. So you see, politics is really a difficult issue to discuss since the facts can get twisted over time and loyalties are never permanent – not even loyalty to one’s party but only loyalty to one’s self. The same can be said about inter-global relationships. Each nation has their own interests to protect and go after and alliances are formed or broken when nations share or no longer share the same interests. After all, is there really any other nation that understands North Korea aside from China? It’s hard to tell if there is because North Korea has shut itself from the world for as long as everyone can remember.

China sent the Trump administration "positive signals"  that it will increase economic sanctions to pressure ally North Korea to abandon its development of nuclear weapons and missiles, a threat that has raised the prospect of a military confrontation with the United States, the State Department revealed Monday.

“We’ve gotten a lot of positive signals from the Chinese but it takes time,” Susan Thornton, acting assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said on a conference call with reporters. “You don’t know if these kinds of economic pressure will work until it works.”

U.S. diplomats will meet with the Chinese and American allies at the United Nations later this month to discuss the way forward, Thornton said. But if the Chinese are unsuccessful, the U.S. will move to increase pressure on North Korea on its own.

(Via: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/04/17/us-china-sends-positive-signals-help-defuse-north-korea-crisis/100572358/)

The wind is now blowing in a different direction indeed as China hints of its support to the U.S. rather than to its longtime ally, North Korea. Amidst the threats of a nuclear war between the U.S. with the help of South Korea through an aggressive war drill against North Korea, China openly expressed they will not support such barbaric acts. However, this is a tricky situation China found itself to be in since they can’t just allow the destruction of their smaller ally for reasons such as potential refugee rise to China, among many others.

Meanwhile, the United States isn’t interested in destabilizing North Korea at all. They just want them to stop their nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles testing that can potentially destroy America. Where China sits in this mess depends on them and it won’t likely take long for everyone to find out.

The following article China In Growing Conflict With North Korea Find more on: The Chinese Human Rights Development Blog

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/09/15/china-in-growing-conflict-with-north-korea/

How Terrorism Affects Travel

The world is a big place that you lose a lot of opportunities in learning a new place, language, and culture by just staying in one place for the rest of your life. The love for travel is made more popular these days thru social media. The web is a great place to see different places that it ignites a deep yearning in you to go out there and see the big wide world for real.

There are many beautiful and amazing natural attractions in different parts of the globe. The biggest challenge here is money. Of course, you pay for airfare, food, and accommodation. Even backpackers shell out a small amount to get from one place to another. After all, almost everything has a price now that you can seldom avail of anything for free. Another major issue that affects travel today is the threat of terrorism. Terror acts happen everywhere it’s difficult to tell where they will strike next. It’s a major consideration when you plan for your next travel getaway although some aren’t deterred by these travel alerts or bans at all.

Many airlines have suspended flights to and from Qatar's capital, Doha.

The issues arose after the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya and Yemen all cut diplomatic ties with Qatar. They say it backs Islamist terror groups, which Qatar denies.

Those countries have now closed their airspace to the country's flag carrier, Qatar Airways.

So what should passengers do?

Who is directly affected?

Anyone who'd planned flying direct between Qatar and the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain will be impacted.

So too are passengers to/from those four countries who were due to be transiting through Qatar, for instance Singapore to Cairo via Doha or London to Riyadh via Doha.

(Via: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-40168780)

It’s no longer surprising to find out that certain governments are connected with terrorists. Even ISIS itself have been claimed to have started with the help of the US Central Intelligence Agency. With terror attacks happening all over the globe for days in a row now, everyone is on high alert and governments only have the safety and security of their people in mind. It’s why Qatar is now considered an outcast of a nation. With rumors that it fund terror groups, other countries have canceled their flights in and out of Doha indefinitely.

The recent terrorist attack in the United Kingdom prompted President Donald Trump to resume his pursuit of the travel ban to prevent terrorism in the United States.

“People, the lawyers and the courts can call it whatever they want, but I am calling it what we need and what it is, a TRAVEL BAN!” he said.

The temporary ban blocks travel and immigration from six Middle Eastern countries — Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Trump’s second attempt at instating a ban was blocked in March by a federal judge in Hawaii, which was upheld by an federal appeals court in May. The president’s first attempt was withdrawn by the White House after it was also blocked by the courts. Trump signed his support for the stronger, first ban.

(Via: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/06/05/donald-trump-bring-back-the-travel-ban-to-fight-terror/)

Ever since assuming office, the most common solution Donald Trump could come up with is to issue travel bans as the answer to many of the issues America is facing today. While it is acceptable considering he only has the safety of the millions of Americans in mind, it is not the best and only solution for issues like terrorism. First off, the terrorists are often already in the United States themselves and have been here for quite some time too. Singling out Muslims isn’t sensitive and sensible as well as it only divides the people even more and creates further conflicts than there already was.

It takes more than just a simple travel ban to wipe out terrorists for good. Even after killing many of these terrorists, new ones will just sign up as a Jihadist, for instance, and pledge allegiance to their terror group. Moreover, the media seems to be fanning the flames and triggers more confusion than being of actual help. If you really need to travel to any of these high-risk places as of the moment, just exercise eternal vigilance. Try to avoid going to crowded areas whenever possible and always be on your toes when out and about. It is always better to be safe than sorry. However, don’t let these terror threats stop you from exploring the world. You only live once. Just remember to travel at your own risk if you really want to pack up and travel somewhere far.

The blog post How Terrorism Affects Travel is republished from CHRDnet.org

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/09/08/how-terrorism-affects-travel/

The China-Australia Row

Not all nations go along with each other very well. Others are civil while a few are at war. Our modern world is continually in conflict with one another albeit in a subtle way. World War 3 may not have been declared yet but various wars and conflicts are happening all over the globe without the knowledge of everybody. Even the bigger and more powerful nations aren’t exempt and are in a row now with one another for various reasons too.

Aside from news on terror attacks and more terror attacks happening in different nations the world over, conflicts over political espionage is arising between the superpower that is China and the continent nation of Australia from down under. Any nation, no matter how big or economically prosperous it is, has to interact with other nations for trade or for other reasons. That’s how global modern life works but chaos ensues when this sense of balance is tarnished. The truth is, 34% of Australian exports (energy products and services and animal produce) go to China. Even the Chinese likes to invest in the Australian market with over $80-billion in investments over the past ten years.

Australia is reviewing its espionage laws and banning foreign political donations over concerns that China is buying influence by using rich businessmen to funnel millions of dollars in donations to political parties.  “Just as modern China was based on an assertion of national sovereignty, so China should always respect the sovereignty of other nations, including, of course, our own,” Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters on Tuesday.  Many other western nations, including the US and UK, prohibit foreign political donations, and Washington has expressed concern both over Chinese meddling in Australian politics and the role of a wealthy diaspora in Beijing’s drive to project soft power overseas.

(Via: https://www.ft.com/content/13e46a12-4a5d-11e7-919a-1e14ce4af89b)

Despite their seemingly long-standing economic ties, conflict is brewing between the two nations with issues of political espionage over Chinese political donations to the Liberal and Labor parties amounting to roughly A$6.7 million. Australia wants to maintain the integrity of the electoral system and take seriously issues involving foreign interference in the country’s electoral processes through monetary donations, which China has been found to be guilty of doing for quite some time now.

Nine months ago, Peter Hartcher, the international editor of the Fairfax-owned Sydney Morning Herald, published a provocative article calling for action against “foreign manipulation” in Australia by alleged pro-Chinese government “rats, flies, mosquitoes and sparrows.” Under conditions of immense war dangers on the Korean peninsula and flaring tensions between China and the US and its allies over strategic influence in Asia, last September’s anti-Chinese campaign is resurfacing to the centre of Australian political life.

The state-owned Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Fairfax’s newspapers—the so-called “liberal” wing of the Australian media—are conducting a joint “investigation” into “how China’s Communist Party is secretly infiltrating Australia.” Last night, the ABC’s current affairs’ program “Four Corners” was dedicated to sensationalist claims that the Chinese regime is seeking to exert clandestine “power and influence” over Australian politics and foreign policy.

Top journalists from both outlets, including Melbourne Age foreign affairs’ writer Daniel Flitton, a former intelligence analyst, and the ABC’s political editor, Chris Uhlmann, are conducting the investigation. And they make no secret of the fact that they are serving as the direct conduit for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), which is repeatedly cited as their primary source of information.

(Via: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/06/06/four-j06.html)

While these political espionage issues remain to be allegations, you can’t deny the strengthening of ties between America and Australia may also be a factor here. We all know that China and the US aren’t on good terms, so to say. However, a brewing war between China and Australia will not only hurt the latter’s economy but prove to be disastrous to many of the Chinese-Australians and Chinese citizens living down under.

Australia takes their sovereignty seriously just like China does. The government aims to review and make amendments to their existing espionage and foreign interference laws this 2017 to ensure that no foreign influence can dictate the Australian government anytime soon.

The China-Australia Row is republished from CHRDNet

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/09/01/the-china-australia-row/