Top News 头条
Last Friday, activists Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing were found guilty of “incitement to subversion” and sentenced to five and three years in prison respectively. A copy of the verdict said Huang was also deprived of political rights for four years and fined $100,000 RMB, while Wang faced three years of deprivation of political rights and was fined $50,000 RMB. Huang and Wang were detained in 2021, the day before Huang had planned to leave China via Hong Kong for the United Kingdom for her master’s degree. As one of the most prominent figures of China’s #MeToo movement, Huang had previously helped in the investigation of and reported multiple sexual harassment allegations against professors at prominent universities. Wang, on the other hand, is a labor rights and disability rights activist who is also a strong supporter of the #MeToo movement.
HRIC strongly condemns the unjust sentences of fearless human rights defenders Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing, a shameful and indefensible attempt to use the pretext of “national security” to suppress Chinese civil society, and thank the international community for their support in calling for their immediate release. In his opening statement at the UN Human Rights Council this week, High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said he deplored the heavy sentences given to Huang and Wang “for exercising their fundamental human rights.” The U.S. State Department said in a statement: “We urge the PRC (People’s Republic of China) to immediately release Huang and Wang, as well as other individuals unjustly detained for exercising their fundamental freedoms.”
Law & Policy 法律与政策
NPCSC Session Watch: Public Security Offenses, Border Health, Financial Stability, Mineral Resources & Report on Promoting Development of Private Economy: Regulations expected to pass include the Emergency Response Law and the Border Health and Quarantine Law, which will codify certain measures used to contain COVID-19, for instance authorizing State Council departments to restrict entry of travelers from specific regions or suspend the issuance of passports or visas. The Public Security Administration Punishments Law, which famously bans clothing or speech which “is detrimental to the spirit of the Chinese people or hurts the feelings of the Chinese people,” will be up for its second review as well.
Provisions on the Governance of Cyberviolence Information: Effective on August 1, 2024, the Cyberspace Administration of China, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and National Radio and Television Administration jointly released a new regulation which requires internet information service providers to take immediate action to shut down and report content on cyberviolence.
New Data Security Risk Assessment Rules for Industry and Information Technology Sectors: A new set of trial rules for companies in the industry and information technology (IT) sectors require them to conduct data security risk assessments which must consider the impact of their data collection on national security, Chinese politics, culture, and society.
Hong Kong: The political subtext behind the resignations of overseas non-permanent judges: As both pro-democracy and pro-establishment forces dislike the presence of foreign non-permanent judges in the Hong Kong judicial system, this legal practice may soon come to an end.
Cyber Security & Digital Rights 网络安全与数字权利
Chinese Leadership’s In-House Lecture Offers Valuable Insights into China’s AI Strategy: Renowned Chinese expert Sun Ninhui delivered a lecture on AI development to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, which provides a rare glimpse into Beijing’s AI ambitions.
Google AI Gemini parrots China’s propaganda: Experts are concerned that Gemini, Google’s AI, stays silent when asked about sensitive Chinese issues in Mandarin, and gives official Beijing propaganda when asked about Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party.
How China’s Cyber Ecosystem Feeds Off Its Superstar Hackers: China utilizes its elite hackers for state purposes through hacking contests, bounties, universities, private contractors, and intelligence agencies.
Dutch intelligence says Chinese cyber espionage goes wider than it suspected: The Dutch government stated that a Chinese state-backed hacking group that was behind a 2023 hacking attack on the Dutch defense ministry in fact targeted dozens of Western governments, international organizations, and defense companies, with at least 20,000 victims worldwide in a few months.
Chinese firm sought to use UK university links to access AI for possible military use: Highlighting security risks posed by academic tie-ups with China, Jiangsu Automation Research Institute, a Chinese state-owned company, partnered with Imperial College London, a UK university, for military purposes up until 2021.
Faking an honest woman: Why Russia, China and Big Tech all use faux females to get clicks: Chinese and Russian propaganda agencies more frequently use AI generated feminine profiles to spread disinformation. Why? One professor explained that using “female” bots gets more engagement, views, and influence than male accounts.
Diaspora Community & Transnational Repression 海外社群和跨国镇压
How Members of the Chinese Diaspora Found Their Voices: The Chinese diaspora’s resounding expression of solidarity, that just a few years ago would have been unimaginable, has been inspired by political organizing they experienced firsthand overseas.
Mother of wanted Hong Kong activist Nathan Law evicted from public housing over unpaid rent: The eviction is seen as part of broader efforts by Hong Kong authorities to pressure and punish relatives of exiled activists under the Beijing-imposed national security law. Since he fled Hong Kong, Law's family members have faced harassment, with their homes being raided and some being detained.
Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society 人权捍卫者与公民社会
Australian writer's sentence upheld ahead of China Premier's visit, say supporters: Writer Yang Hengjun’s suspended death sentence has been upheld on appeal, according to reports from his supporters. Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who will meet Premier Li Qiang, said last week he would raise Yang’s case with China's second-highest ranked official.
Chinese writer's information disappears from her homeland's internet: Information on the life and work of Yan Geling, a Chinese American writer, disappeared from the Chinese internet after she criticized the Chinese authorities and questioned Xi Jinping’s leadership.
Man denied bail under Article 23 over ‘seditious’ slogans on t-shirt and mask: Chu Kai-pong, 27, is the first person to be officially charged with sedition under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance since it was passed in March, for wearing a shirt allegedly displaying the slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times.”
Hong Kong justice dept. will not appeal acquittal of democrat cleared in city’s largest national security case: Lee Yue-shun, a former district councilor, has been acquitted in the high-profile trial of 47 democrats for organizing an unofficial primary election in July 2020. Hong Kong’s Department of Justice says it will not pursue an appeal.
Hong Kong man with autism handed 12 months probation over inciting others to kill city’s leader and police online: Chan Chun-Ho, 21, was said to have made 12 Facebook posts last September and October which made derogatory comments towards Hong Kong police and encouraged storming the Legislative Council.
China’s Reach & Internal Control 中国: 内控与外扩
China promoting authoritarian governance in developing world: According to a report by Washington-based think tank Atlantic Council, China has organized seminars and training courses for officials in African and Latin American countries, aimed at promoting its single-party system and President Xi Jinping's worldview.
More Local Centers for Global Propaganda: New external propaganda bases have been opened in Zhejiang and Tianjin to create television, radio, and multimedia products for foreign distribution.
“The Police’s Strength Is Limited, but the People’s Strength Is Boundless”: Vigilantes and other safety promotion groups are merely the newest iteration of the Party-state’s effort to enmesh citizens in its broader grassroots surveillance and control project.
Related: China wants its 12 million delivery drivers to work for the party: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) recently enlisted 12 million food delivery drivers as part-time social supervisors to enhance grassroots governance and surveillance. These drivers will be encouraged to report safety issues and other concerns while demonstrating loyalty to the party. In exchange, they will receive benefits like access to rest stations with food, drink, and healthcare.
Censors Take Down Discussion of Last Mongolian Language College Entrance Exams: Minority language-medium exams in Inner Mongolia, Yunnan, Qinghai, Ningxia, and other provinces are set to end in 2025. Yet any discussion of the change, even neutral acknowledgement, is a target for China’s censors.
International Responses 国际反应
EU urges China to stop human rights crackdown: Following a visit to Tibet, the EU has urged China to investigate human rights violations against human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists in China, and expressed concern about cases of unlawful detention, enforced disappearance, torture and ill-treatment.
US blacklists 3 more Chinese firms for Uyghur slave labor: Three more Chinese companies have been banned from exporting their products to the United States due to their alleged use of Uyghur forced labor, bringing the total number of blacklisted firms to 68. Footwear company Dongguan Oasis Shoes, shrimp producer Shandong Meijia Group and aluminum supplier Xinjiang Shenhuo Coal and Electricity were added to the Entity List under the 2021 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
House passes bill urging China to mend ties with Dalai Lama: The U.S Congress voted Wednesday to pass a bill urging China to mend ties with the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan leaders. The legislation, named Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act, will allow State Department officials to “actively and directly” counter disinformation about Tibet that’s spread by the Chinese government, namely rejecting false claims that Tibet has been part of China since “ancient times,” the lawmakers said in their release.
Current Events 热点新闻
China Hands Firms Decades-Old Tax Bills, Hinting at Funding Woes: Facing money problems, local governments in China are going after back taxes from as much as thirty years ago, including some companies that were dissolved years prior. According to online reports, one company owner has been targeted for personal liability for alleged tax evasion, despite the fact that his company won a lawsuit over the same case in 2014.
4 American teachers are stabbed in knife attack in China: Although violence against foreigners in China is rare, the attack comes in the wake of a recent campaign by authorities to make people suspicious of foreigners, or anyone with foreign connections.
Chinese movie star's visit to Taiwan hints at thawing tensions: Hu Ge, a famous Chinese movie star, has visited Taiwan, signaling a potential thaw in cross-strait tensions. Accompanied by the head of Shanghai's Taiwan Affairs Office, Hu's trip included attending cultural events and engaging with fans and media. This visit comes after a ban on Chinese movie stars traveling to Taiwan, which may now be easing despite ongoing military tensions.