Current Events

[Randy W]

Beijing is angry at the WTA for pulling out of China. But it can't let Chinese people know about it   .

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times, poses for a photograph in Beijing on June 5, 2019.

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the government-owned nationalist tabloid Global Times, became the first state employee to challenge the WTA's decision Thursday -- but only on Twitter.

from CNN

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Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the government-owned nationalist tabloid Global Times, became the first state employee to challenge the WTA's decision Thursday -- but only on Twitter.

"WTA is coercing Peng Shuai to support the West's attack on Chinese system. They are depriving Peng Shuai's freedom of expression, demanding that her description of her current situation must meet their expectation," Hu tweeted.

That was followed by a Global Times "editorial" posted on Twitter in English, accusing the WTA of "expanding its influence in a speculative way, bringing politics into women's tennis deeply, setting a bad example for the entire sporting world." It did not mention what triggered the WTA's decision to pull out of China in the first place.

In contrast to the blanket silence at home, China's government controlled-media lashed out at the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) on Twitter -- a platform blocked in China -- accusing the organization of "putting on an exaggerated show," and "supporting the West's attack on Chinese system."

The two seemingly contradictory approaches reflect the extreme sensitivity attached to the WTA's decision inside of China -- and the explosive #MeToo allegation that sparked it.

 . . 
"China's external propaganda on this matter is like a paper box that cannot hold water in front of its own people," said Xiao Qiang, editor-in-chief of China Digital Times, a US-based news website tracking censorship in China.
"How ironic that they hope to use this narrative to convince the international community."
To experts who have long monitored and analyzed China's propaganda efforts, this apparently well-guarded parallel track belies a more chaotic reality.
"We could talk here about a two-pronged strategy, about how China has enforced complete silence at home while pushing a narrative externally about meddling journalists and the politicizing of sport. But to call it a strategy at all suggests a sophistication that is not really there," said David Bandurski, director of the China Media Project.
"What we actually see is desperation, the editor-in-chief of one state-run newspaper rushing out on Twitter and banging his dishpan. The point is to distract the world from obvious and damning facts."

 

 

[Randy W]

A couple who have searched for their missing son for 13 years reunited with him on Monday in Shenzheng, Guangdong province.

Sun Haiyang opened a steamed bun shop in Shenzhen in 2007. When his 4-year-old son was abducted the same year, he changed the name of the shop to “Reward 200,000 yuan for Missing Son.”

The case received national attention and Sun’s story was adapted into the 2014 movie “Dearest.” Police found his son after solving a related abduction case and confirmed his identity with DNA testing.

Check out more Daily Tones: http://ow.ly/nQgp50H4WtE

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3106165999702239

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Also from the Sixth Tone

A Sick Child, a Lack of Drugs, and a Father Who Made His Own
With no treatment approved in China for his severely ill son, Xu Wei saw only one way to save him.

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To determine whether what he made would be harmful, he bought a small rabbit and gave it an injection. The next day, the rabbit died. Then, he bought two bigger rabbits, who both survived. Soon after, Xu gave himself and his wife a shot. After they experienced no side effects, he decided to administer it to Haoyang.

After two weeks of treatment, his son’s physical condition began to improve.

But copper histidine can only alleviate Menkes — not cure it. Because the compound has difficulty transporting copper ions to the brain, Haoyang’s brain is still unable to develop normally. To deal with this, Xu has begun to make his own elesclomol, which can “escort” copper ions to the brain.

He has also sent his son’s stem cells to be inspected, and wonders whether gene therapy could provide a possible cure.

The bills for his son’s treatment continue to pile up. Since Haoyang became ill, Xu has shelved his e-commerce business and lost his source of revenue. He is currently reliant on savings, credit cards, and loans to maintain his laboratory, while his wife’s job covers most of the household’s expenses.

Xu has ignored the advice of his relatives and friends, who suggested that he could have another child while he is still young. When it comes to his child, he is unwilling to compromise — he won’t give up even if his own wife tries to persuade him. In that case, they would have to make their separate plans, he said. Xu doesn’t want his son to feel like he’s being abandoned.

 

 

Edited December 7, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Discussing gender issues on social media can often lead to controversy. In China, it’s also leading to a growing number of users’ accounts being shut down.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3107246956260810

Weibo Shuts Down User Accounts for ‘Gender Opposition’
The wave of deletions is part of a broader effort by China’s Twitter-like social platform to strictly police discussions of gender.

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Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social platform, announced Thursday that it had deleted 54 accounts and muted another 472 users for up to 30 days each for “hate speech, gender opposition, and incitement to conflict.” The 526 sanctioned accounts are no longer accessible.

The company didn’t specify what the punished users had said that violated the platform’s regulations. Weibo did not respond to Sixth Tone’s interview request by time of publication.

Weibo — one of China’s biggest social platforms with over 560 million monthly active users — has become a battleground for debates over social issues in recent years. As feminist groups have found it more difficult to host offline events, many have turned to organizing campaigns on social media. Women also frequently use Weibo to speak out about sexual harassment and domestic violence, and to discuss other gender issues affecting Chinese society. 

But Weibo has begun policing gender discussions much more strictly in recent months. Last July, the platform introduced a new mechanism for users to report others for “provoking hate,” which it said applied to issues including sexism and racism.

Then, in January, it froze a user’s account for “provoking gender opposition” — the first known instance of the platform using the term. The user, a self-described feminist, had her account deactivated for 30 days after commenting on a story about a man who had recently killed himself. “Can’t women start having sympathy for themselves (rather than for men)?” she wrote.

The platform has increasingly started sanctioning users for “creating gender opposition” since then. In September, Weibo muted 6,767 accounts and deleted another 185 for comments related to an incident in the northwestern city of Xi’an, when a security guard inside a subway station forcibly removed a female passenger from a train, exposing the woman’s skin and underwear.

 

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

China is ALL OVER the Democracy Summit this week - it's almost a continuous topic on CGTN.

from Serena Dong on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/theserenadong/posts/429308862177220

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

On 12/4/2021 at 3:54 PM, Randy W said:

“My body was dirty and slimy, but I was seen as a beautiful and rich woman by others.”

Could you survive for three weeks in the Chinese capital on a zero-yuan budget? A 23-year-old art student tried it, and discovered it was surprisingly easy — if you’re dressed like a member of China’s social elite.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3101867383465434

How to Live for Free in Beijing: An Artist’s Guide
Could you survive for three weeks in the Chinese capital on a zero-yuan budget? Zou Yaqi tried it, and discovered it was surprisingly easy — if you’re dressed like a member of China’s social elite.

 

‘Fake socialite’ lives 21 days for free in Beijing as social experiment
 An art student did an experiment for her graduation project: attempting to live 21 days for free in Beijing. Her project sparked discussion about class, privilege, and inequality.

from the SCMP on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/420635883069090/

[Randy W]

Chinese embassies in Canada, the UK, & Australia responded to the three countries' "boycott" of the #Beijing2022 following the US. The three countries are in no position to point fingers at China, and their bad records in #humanrights issues are notorious. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202106/1226646.shtml

from the Global Times on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/globaltimesnews/posts/4745981232149406

Cartel of killers: UK, US and Canada jointly whip up global Xinjiang hysteria, but what about their joint history of systemic genocide, violence and ethnic cleansing?

By Xie Wenting, Lin Xiaoyi and Lu Yameng
Published: Jun 20, 2021 11:39 PM

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

The “Thunder God’s Hammer”: That’s what netizens are calling Li Jinglei after she accused her husband, pop star Wang Leehom, of cheating and serial emotional abuse in multiple lengthy social media posts over the weekend.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/photos/a.1604152706570250/3115857332066439

Wang Leehom divorce drama prompts warning by China’s Communist Party to Chinese celebrities

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

But it seems that no "retaliation" is in the works.

With recent Xinjiang boycotts, Intel bites the hand that feeds it

By 

Hu Xijin

Published: Dec 22, 2021 02:00 PM Updated: Dec 22, 2021 01:53 PM

from the Global Times on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/globaltimesnews/posts/4798317816915747

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Chinese media discovered on Tuesday that US tech company Intel has announced, in a public statement on its website, it "does not use any labor or source goods or services" from Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. 
Not many American companies have done so. Most US enterprises, which Chinese people are familiar with, hesitantly and negatively support Washington's demands to boycott Xinjiang's products made by the so-called forced labor.

 . . .

In my opinion, as long as Chinese people keep seeking truth from facts, we will not hold a grudge in the power struggle with other countries. The US is still stronger than China. Sometimes China cannot control US actions. Sometimes China can remain passive while the US behaves arrogantly. This is inevitable. Intel's overbearingness clearly exposes our weakness. 
At the same time, we must also see that US' catering giants, automakers, machinery and equipment manufacturers, and Hollywood are exhibiting a milder attitude toward China. It mirrors the other side of China, namely the strong and powerful side. The power game between China and the US is constantly changing, and both China's domain and the middle ground are expanding. Room for the US to be unscrupulously domineering is shrinking. This is the big trend. 
The Chinese people must be broad-minded and insightful. Regarding future dealings with China, if the US gets real, it will have to breathe heavily. We must respond to US tricks, but there is no need to pay too much attention to them. We need to focus more on China's domestic agenda. We will take our notebook out and write down Intel's name and its bad deeds. The stronger China becomes, the more capable it will be of fighting back. 

 

The author is a commentator with the Global Times.

Edited January 20, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

9 hours ago, Randy W said:

But it seems that no "retaliation" is in the works.

With recent Xinjiang boycotts, Intel bites the hand that feeds it

By 

Hu Xijin

Published: Dec 22, 2021 02:00 PM Updated: Dec 22, 2021 01:53 PM

from the Global Times on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/globaltimesnews/posts/4798317816915747

The author is a commentator with the Global Times.

 

But of course . . .

Intel apologizes over its statement on forced labor in Xinjiang.

Visitors passing by an Intel booth at an expo in Shanghai in July.Credit...Aly Song/Reuters

from the NYTimes

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The chip maker apologized to its Chinese customers, partners and the public in a Chinese-language statement on Weibo, the popular social media site. The company said that the letter, which had been sent to suppliers, was an effort at expressing its compliance with United States sanctions against Xinjiang, rather than a political stance.

China has pushed back against accusations of forced labor in Xinjiang, and Intel’s letter made the chip maker a target of widespread condemnation. “Intel bites the hand that feeds it,” read a headline of one commentary in a nationalist newspaper. A celebrity dropped the brand.

 . . .

A New York Times investigation last year revealed that Intel-made chips have powered a supercomputing center in Xinjiang, aiding the Chinese government’s campaign of surveillance against the Muslim minorities in the region. It also found that police in Xinjiang were able to buy surveillance systems that ran lower-level Intel chips, even though the police were on a United States government list that cut their access to American technology. Intel said it was not aware of what it called a misuse of its technology.

 

 

Edited December 23, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

On 11/22/2021 at 7:37 PM, Randy W said:

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai makes first ‘public appearances’ since sexual assault . . .
Peng Shuai, the Chinese tennis star who has become the focus of international concern, made an appearance at a youth tennis event in Beijing on November 21, according to images posted online.

from the SCMP on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/589860808943400/

 

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has claimed she had never accused anyone of sexually assaulting her and a social media post she had made in November had been misunderstood https://aje.io/yvq53r

from AL Jazeera English on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/photos/a.10150243828793690/10160483360218690

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Baby Yingliang, a 72 to 66 millions years old embryo was discovered inside a fossilized dinosaur egg. It is believed to be a toothless theropod dinosaur, or oviraptorosaur.

It is the best preserved dinosuaur embryos ever found in the history according to the study published in iScience. The fossil will help researchers to understand the link between dinosaurs and modern birds.

Baby Yingliang measures 10.6in (27cm) long from head to tail, and rests inside a 6.7 inch-long egg at the Yingli Nature History Museum in China. #babyyingliang #dinosaurs

from CGTN on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/ChinaGlobalTVNetwork/posts/477424963750981

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Metaverse is a combination of multiple high-tech elements, including mobile internet, the internet of things, virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and videos, which makes users feel like they are “living” in a digital universe.
China needs to remain on high alert against financial speculators trying to cash in on the metaverse craze, not least because such actions could disrupt the efficient allocation of resources, hinder the cultivation of talents, and harm industries. This is all the more important as China is taking strict measures to curb monopolies, according to an editorial piece titled “Need to guard against ‘metaverse’ craze.”

from China Pictorial on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/ChinaPic/posts/4476450539146967

 

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

The Yangtze River is considered an icon of the Chinese nation and a cradle of the Chinese civilization. For tens of millions of years, the Yangtze, the world’s third-largest river, runs from west to east and converges with numerous tributaries. Today the Yangtze River Economic Belt that covers 11 provinces and municipalities in China, contributes 45 percent of China’s total GDP and boasts a population that accounts for nearly 40 percent of the national total. It has also become one of China’s most important cultural belts. 
The Mighty Long River: Yangtze River Culture Exhibition opened Thursday at the National Museum of China. This exhibition focuses on related collections from the National Museum of China and showcases more than 300 sets of objects that stand as representatives of the Yangtze River culture. It offers a panoramic view of the history of the Yangtze River and the people, ecology, and projects along it, and demonstrates how the river contributed to the continuation of Chinese history and culture. National Museum of China

from China Pictorial on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/ChinaPic/posts/4476426639149357

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Public shaming parade in Chinese city

These 4 men were publicly shamed in China for suspected human smuggling. But the Cultural Revolution-era punishment was banned in 2010.

from the SCMP on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/659840345144685/

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)