HRIC Weekly Brief
February 6, 2024
Top News 头条
This week, two pro-democracy figures received harsh sentences. Australian citizen and academic Yang Hengjun, who was tried in a closed-door trial in 2021, was handed a suspended death sentence by a Chinese court on unrevealed espionage charges. In China, a suspended death sentence will automatically convert to a life sentence—typically—after two years. Yang’s family has called on the Australian government to challenge Yang’s treatment in prison, which they say includes extensive torture. The same day, feminist and labor rights activist Li Qiaochu was sentenced to three years and eight months for “subversion of state power.” She was initially targeted for publishing articles on her partner, activist Xu Zhiyong, but her sentence reflects the government’s retaliation against her for speaking out about Xu’s torture and her own mistreatment by the authorities. Li’s family has repeatedly requested her release for health reasons, as she is suffering from severe health issues caused by her imprisonment.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong authorities have announced that the “Safeguarding National Security Ordinance,” the upcoming Article 23 national security legislation, will limit lawyers’ access to their clients as well as target journalists and media who “provide a platform” to anyone accused of national security violations, for example, by interviewing them.
Law & Policy 法律与政策
NPC Calendar: February 2024: In February, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee will convene to prepare for the 2024 National People’s Congress session. There are thirteen potential bills to be reviewed.
Notice on Further Improving Coordination and Joint Efforts on Credit Restoration: A newly translated notice on social credit pushes local governments towards a nationalized system for “credit restoration.” As it stands, social credit in China is highly fragmented, and the 2025 goal of a national system seems difficult to meet—however, this Notice moves China one step closer to the goal.
China can now monitor government-funded projects 24/7: One solution to China’s property woes? More surveillance, according to new rules that went into effect this month. Developers that receive at least $4.2 million in government funding are now required to allow camera, drone, and even satellite surveillance at their projects.
Hong Kong’s homegrown security law seeks to define ‘state secrets’ along China’s legislative line: The Hong Kong government's new public consultation document for its homegrown National Security Law incorporates the term "state secrets" defined broadly, following the lead of the mainland in banning disclosure of any potentially sensitive information.
Related: After Hong Kong leader John Lee implied that the German Chamber of Commerce supported the new Article 23 National Security Law, the Chamber president clarified: “If the law is very precisely worded and very rarely applied this will be less cause for concern than if it is deemed imprecise in wording and regularly invoked.”
Cyber Security & Digital Rights 网络安全与数字权利
网信系统持续推进网络执法查处各类网上违法违规行为 [Cyberspace affairs departments continue to promote internet law enforcement to investigate and deal with various online violations]: The Cyberspace Administration of China has released a 2023 work report: 10,646 websites were warned, 14,624 website registrations were revoked, and 453 websites were ordered to suspend functions or make alterations; 259 apps and 119 mini programs were removed from app stores; and websites were told to remove 127878 accounts. Removed apps include "AI Writing Tutor" and "Writing Almighty King,” which did not conduct a security assessment on their public opinion mobilization capabilities.
Philippines wards off cyber attacks from China-based hackers: The Philippines announced that a cyberattack from a group based in China failed to breach the websites and email systems of its president and government agencies.
Chinese turn U.S. embassy post into 'Wailing Wall' for stock plunge: In an unusual workaround to China’s strict internet censorship, Chinese internet users have turned a post about giraffe conservation on the U.S. Embassy’s Weibo account into a platform for venting their frustrations over their own economic woes, with over 130,000 comments and 15,000 reposts with messages such as “Could you spare us some missiles to bomb away the Shanghai Stock Exchange?”
Ultranationalist Bloggers Take Aim At Red Circles, Backlash Ensues: Trolls exist everywhere; but on the Chinese internet, ultranationalist bloggers got a New Year’s display taken down by the authorities for containing red dots, which they interpreted as a reference to the Japanese flag. Some internet commentators pushed back against the “ridiculous” logical leaps.
What Does the Party Stand to Gain from AI?: AI-driven propaganda creation is one of the priorities of the Chinese government, and it is quickly becoming a reality with sites like Zhongke Wenge (中科闻歌), which analyze data on public opinion towards China and create suggested propaganda messages, which can be performed by their AI announcers.
US says it dismantled China-backed hacker network that targeted American infrastructure: In a follow up to last week’s news, FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress that the United States had discovered and neutralized hundreds of routers that had been taken over by Chinese-backed hacking group Volt Typhoon, in order to target critical infrastructure such as communications and energy.
Related: Chinese malware removed from SOHO routers after FBI issues covert commands.
Japan ‘rushing’ to improve defense networks amid Chinese attack concerns: After August 2023 reports that Chinese hackers had infiltrated the Japanese government’s computer systems, Japan is now actively working to boost its cyber defense capabilities in case of future attack.
Diaspora Community & Transnational Repression 海外社群和跨国镇压
铁链女事件两周年 美国东西两岸同现声援 [On the second anniversary of the Chained Woman Incident, people on both coasts of the United States expressed their support]: In 2022, a case of severe sex trafficking in Xuzhou came to light, and an image of a woman chained to the wall drew widespread attention and concern. Two years after her plight was uncovered, Chinese student Wang Han held a hunger strike in Times Square for seven days to raise awareness of bride sales and other forms of human trafficking in rural China. In Los Angeles, a protest outside the Chinese Consulate called on the Chinese government to protect women’s rights rather than covering up such crimes for fear of encouraging others to stand up for themselves.
HRIC on Twitter/X: Last year, a series of sexual harassment accusations surfaced against Chinese activists, marking a troubling trend. In the past week, yet another accusation has come to light. HRIC has consistently championed the principle of non-discrimination and vehemently opposed sexual harassment. In response to the recent incident, HRIC reiterates its unwavering commitment to these principles and urges all human rights institutions to adopt a similar stance, fostering an environment of respect and equality for all.
HRIC In Dialogue With The Taiwan Human Rights Commission: In January, Human Rights in China was honored to meet with Taiwan’s National Human Rights Commission, where we engaged in productive dialogue and discussed the importance of human rights advocacy in the process of Taiwan’s democratization.
Taiwan’s pro-China speaker choice stirs fears of deeper Beijing influence: In what some call a “congressional crisis,” Han Kuo-yu, a former pro-China mayor and current Kuomintang politician, has been elected speaker of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, spurring protests over “China’s preferred candidate.”
Tibetan monk arrested for publishing books on Tibet from exiles: Lobsang Thabkhey, a 54-year-old Tibetan Buddhist monk and librarian, was arrested in June 2023 for “republishing books from the exiled Tibetan community and for contacting people outside the region.” His location and status are currently unknown.
Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society 人权捍卫者与公民社会
China Labour Bulletin Strike Map data analysis: 2023 year in review for workers' rights: China Labour Bulletin’s analysis of strikes in 2023 shows rampant wage theft, including at the hands of cash-strapped local governments, and numerous worker’s rights violations as the economy struggles.
Hongkonger who made failed Taiwan escape bid jailed for 5 years, 1 month over perverting justice, protest charges: Quinn Moon, Hongkonger who was jailed for two years in Mainland China before returning to detention in Hong Kong in 2022, has been sentenced to five years and one month in prison on explosive charges and “perverting the course of justice.”
Actor Gregory Wong among 4 found guilty of rioting in Hong Kong legislature during 2019 demos: Actor Gregory Wong, who was a reporter with a student publication at the time, has been found guilty of “rioting” inside the Hong Kong legislative chambers on July 1, 2019. Wong said he was there to give a charger to a reporter, a claim which the judge rejected.
Hong Kong gov’t tells school to axe agreement with performing arts group, citing national security guidelines: Two performances by performing arts group Fire Makes Us Human have been canceled in Hong Kong, after the Education Bureau ordered the school they were to be held at to pull out of its agreement. The Education Bureau reportedly did not give the school a clear reason, but said it had received “reports” regarding the group leader’s “remarks” on “sensitive issues.” None of the remarks or their content were specified.
China’s Reach & Internal Control 中国: 内控与外扩
Elderly Uyghur women imprisoned in China for decades-old religious ‘crimes’, leaked files reveal: Leaked Chinese police files, released in 2022 but only now analyzed by researchers at the Uyghur Human Rights Project, show hundreds of women imprisoned for minor religious activity, much of it decades old and legal at the time. One woman was sentenced to ten years in prison for “illegally studying scripture with her mother for three days ‘in or around’ February 1976, when she was just five or six years old.” Read the full report here.
In song and dance, Uyghurs forced to celebrate Lunar New Year: The Chinese authorities are taking advantage of the holiday to enforce cultural assimilation of ethnic minorities.
Carmakers may be using aluminium made by Uyghur forced labour, NGO investigation finds: A report from Human Rights Watch identified supply chain concerns related to Uyghur forced labor for five automotive companies: Toyota, Volkswagen, General Motors, Tesla and BYD.
International Responses 国际反应
US lawmakers nominate jailed Uyghur professor, Hong Kong mogul for Nobel Peace Prize: The co-chairs of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China have nominated four jailed activists for the Nobel Peace Prize: Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai, Uyghur academic Ilham Tohti, and human rights lawyers Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhiyong.