Saturday, August 31, 2013
Boy's penis almost bitten off by mentally unstable mother
[video width="480" height="368" flv="http://partyandstate.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Boys-penis-almost-bitten-off-by-mentally-unstable-mother1.flv"][/video]
A Level Playing Field For Foreign Firms?
We previously wrote on this blog how the anti-monopoly laws were being unfairly used against foreign companies, but rarely are Chinese SEOs held to account. As China Unbound examines, it's not only price fixing that's the problem, environmental laws, often flouted openly by companies poisoning rivers and creating cancer villages.
The Chinese break down in tears when it's they who stand accused of doing real damage to the environment.
While western companies might welcome a level playing field that does actually have some respect for the law, if the law is used selectively against competition by the Chinese, there will be few international players left in the country. There's always India.
It is less politically treacherous: attacking a foreign firm for not adhering to Chinese environmental regulations will not jeopardize the future of a Chinese NGO. In addition, foreign firms have traditionally been more sensitive to bad publicity and more likely to respond when alerted to their environmental failings. Of course, the multinationals should not need to be reminded to do the right thing, but holding them to account while allowing their Chinese counterparts a free pass not only disadvantages the foreign firms but also does little to address the real source of China’s environmental challenge.
The Chinese break down in tears when it's they who stand accused of doing real damage to the environment.
According to the South China Morning Post, a recent report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences blames Western-funded environmental organizations working in the Mekong River region for harming China’s reputation by “irresponsibly attacking Chinese investors and misleading local communities with biased reports.” The intent of these NGOs, according to the report is apparently to limit China’s economic influence in the region. When questioned about the foreign sources of funding, however, the report’s authors refused to answer.
While western companies might welcome a level playing field that does actually have some respect for the law, if the law is used selectively against competition by the Chinese, there will be few international players left in the country. There's always India.
Related articles
Friday, August 30, 2013
Four Year Old Killed By Bulldozer in Zhe Jiang Land Grab
As the property bubble in China continues to expand, and the poor get ousted as local government officials take land from the poor folk working the land.
China has a lot of land, and most if it is tilled by the poor, who do part time work in the cities as migrant workers and till their paltry allotment of land to make ends meet. Unfortunately, in modern China, your worth is measured by how much money you have and how wide your waistline. And how many kids you've trampled over to make your mark.
Graphic images of a three/four year old girl (depending on which source you consult) have surfaced on Weibo that show exactly what the opinion of Chinese officials is when it comes to clearing a path to either promote their own career within the Party, or simple to toe the Party line and keep building buildings no matter what the cost.
The child was killed as a dispute over land took place in Zhang Pu County, Zhejiang. Hong Xiao Rou's father asked officials "What is more important — human life or land acquisition?", the answer came all too swiftly: "Land acquisition."
Photos of Xiao Rou's body which was crushed beneath the tracks of a bulldozer posted on Weibo. When pressed for comment, an official statement read "There’s no demolition. Yes, the girl died. But she was accidentally killed by the bulldozer when they were flattening the [adjacent] land as she sneaked into the building site and played there."
China has a lot of land, and most if it is tilled by the poor, who do part time work in the cities as migrant workers and till their paltry allotment of land to make ends meet. Unfortunately, in modern China, your worth is measured by how much money you have and how wide your waistline. And how many kids you've trampled over to make your mark.
Graphic images of a three/four year old girl (depending on which source you consult) have surfaced on Weibo that show exactly what the opinion of Chinese officials is when it comes to clearing a path to either promote their own career within the Party, or simple to toe the Party line and keep building buildings no matter what the cost.
The child was killed as a dispute over land took place in Zhang Pu County, Zhejiang. Hong Xiao Rou's father asked officials "What is more important — human life or land acquisition?", the answer came all too swiftly: "Land acquisition."
Photos of Xiao Rou's body which was crushed beneath the tracks of a bulldozer posted on Weibo. When pressed for comment, an official statement read "There’s no demolition. Yes, the girl died. But she was accidentally killed by the bulldozer when they were flattening the [adjacent] land as she sneaked into the building site and played there."
Related articles
A Fly in the Oinment: Charles Xue Arrest
State media has been making a big thing of the arrest of Xue Manzi, known in the US as Charles Xue. Arrested earlier this week on suspicion of soliciting prostitutes, it's till not clear what charges, if any he will face. Coincidentally, Xue was quite a promienent voice on Weibo, with over 12 million followers, he frequently comments on social issues, and posts frequently about reform in China. Making an example of him is obviously one of the governments top priorities when it comes to silencing dissenting voices online.
Not receiving quite the same amount of media attention is Cui Ya Dong, the High Court judge in Shanghai who has been accused by no less than 70 police officers of graft during his tenure as provincial chief in Chongqing. By strange coincidence a video surface online of four Shanghai judges visiting a nightclub in Shanghai and leaving with a group of prostitutes.
In a letter signed with the thumbprints of 70 police officers, Cui was accused, amongst other thing of taking nearly 20RMB million in kickbacks and appropriating a huge amount of alcohol, totalling to around six tons. Cui would later sell the liquor, bought with public funds, in Anhui. As of the time of writing he is yet to be detained, but all references to him have been scrubbed from China search engines and social networks.
Also not in the news is the detention of Chinese reporter Liu Hu, who was arrested after posting message on Weibo accusing deputy director of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, Ma Zheng Qi of dereliction, during time in...Chongqing. Liu posted evidence that expose other corrupt officials in the city, but these posts were quickly deleted.
Since authorities aren't obligated to investigate accusation of corruption made by members of the public, nothing is done, unless someone has firsthand evidence somewhere. For now it seems that while there is some effort to crackdown on graft in China, political motives are more often behind the trials and detentions that any kind of moral fibre.
Not receiving quite the same amount of media attention is Cui Ya Dong, the High Court judge in Shanghai who has been accused by no less than 70 police officers of graft during his tenure as provincial chief in Chongqing. By strange coincidence a video surface online of four Shanghai judges visiting a nightclub in Shanghai and leaving with a group of prostitutes.
In a letter signed with the thumbprints of 70 police officers, Cui was accused, amongst other thing of taking nearly 20RMB million in kickbacks and appropriating a huge amount of alcohol, totalling to around six tons. Cui would later sell the liquor, bought with public funds, in Anhui. As of the time of writing he is yet to be detained, but all references to him have been scrubbed from China search engines and social networks.
Also not in the news is the detention of Chinese reporter Liu Hu, who was arrested after posting message on Weibo accusing deputy director of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, Ma Zheng Qi of dereliction, during time in...Chongqing. Liu posted evidence that expose other corrupt officials in the city, but these posts were quickly deleted.
Since authorities aren't obligated to investigate accusation of corruption made by members of the public, nothing is done, unless someone has firsthand evidence somewhere. For now it seems that while there is some effort to crackdown on graft in China, political motives are more often behind the trials and detentions that any kind of moral fibre.
Related articles
Seven Baselines For a Cleaner, Safer Internet
CMP, The Chinese Media Project takes a look at the Seven Baselines (七条底线)that were proposed at the China Internet Conference earlier this month.
Evidence, if evidence were needed that Chinese officials don't actually understand the Internet, the seven principles are supposed to give internet celebs a rough idea of the way that they might create a positive influence through their posts. A meeting was held earlier this month with a group of the most influential tweeters and bloggers on the Chinese Internet, and high profile arrests of online rumor mongers were made.
The seven baselines are:
1. The Base Line of Laws and Regulations
2. The Base Line of the Socialist System
3. The Base Line of National Interests
4. The Base Line of Citizens' Legal Rights and Interests
5. The Base Line of Public Order
6. The Moral Base Line
7. The Base Line of Information Accuracy
Luckily for the good folks at Xinhua, and other esteemed Chinese news outlets, accuracy is bottom of the list.
August has seen the tightening of several Internet controls, with officials clamping down on the spread of unauthorized information on social media sites like Weibo. Last week, authorities announced plans to target WeChat users gossiping in chat rooms. With voice chat apps in the firing line, Chinese netizens can only speculate as to were the crackdown on gossiping about the political elite will end.
Evidence, if evidence were needed that Chinese officials don't actually understand the Internet, the seven principles are supposed to give internet celebs a rough idea of the way that they might create a positive influence through their posts. A meeting was held earlier this month with a group of the most influential tweeters and bloggers on the Chinese Internet, and high profile arrests of online rumor mongers were made.
The seven baselines are:
1. The Base Line of Laws and Regulations
2. The Base Line of the Socialist System
3. The Base Line of National Interests
4. The Base Line of Citizens' Legal Rights and Interests
5. The Base Line of Public Order
6. The Moral Base Line
7. The Base Line of Information Accuracy
Luckily for the good folks at Xinhua, and other esteemed Chinese news outlets, accuracy is bottom of the list.
August has seen the tightening of several Internet controls, with officials clamping down on the spread of unauthorized information on social media sites like Weibo. Last week, authorities announced plans to target WeChat users gossiping in chat rooms. With voice chat apps in the firing line, Chinese netizens can only speculate as to were the crackdown on gossiping about the political elite will end.
Related articles
World's Tallest Building Mired in Red Tape
China's lust for skyscrapers continues unabated, attracting criticism that the skylines of many cities are being determined by the egos of the local officials that run them (or in some cases, the people who refuse to move off proposed building sites. Increasingly, many of the flagship construction projects led by local governments are grinding to a halt.
As reported earlier, selling off land for developers to build on is a common ploy by cash strapped provinces. Building the world's biggest, or the world's tallest building on the site is technically a boon for the local officials looking to climb the CCP ladder, and excellent PR for the Party in general. Nothing says modernization like a whopping great building in the center of town built in record time.
Thing's aren't going so well for Changsha's latest effort though. Sky city was intended to be not only the world's tallest building, but the world's tallest building built in the fastest time, but Chinese red tape is dogging the project, and it's in real danger of not actually getting off the ground at all.
Proving that if you want something done in China, you need to do it illegally, or work in the gray areas at least, doing everything "above board" has meant that as of July this year, the company responsible for the project had obtained permits to build on a mere 122 acres of land. Fines for starting construction without the proper permits could be fairly hefty - an estimated $750 million of the total $1.46 billion.
Of course, if the World Skyscraper Index is to be believed, Sky City could be a lynchpin indicator of the economic times to come.
As reported earlier, selling off land for developers to build on is a common ploy by cash strapped provinces. Building the world's biggest, or the world's tallest building on the site is technically a boon for the local officials looking to climb the CCP ladder, and excellent PR for the Party in general. Nothing says modernization like a whopping great building in the center of town built in record time.
Thing's aren't going so well for Changsha's latest effort though. Sky city was intended to be not only the world's tallest building, but the world's tallest building built in the fastest time, but Chinese red tape is dogging the project, and it's in real danger of not actually getting off the ground at all.
Proving that if you want something done in China, you need to do it illegally, or work in the gray areas at least, doing everything "above board" has meant that as of July this year, the company responsible for the project had obtained permits to build on a mere 122 acres of land. Fines for starting construction without the proper permits could be fairly hefty - an estimated $750 million of the total $1.46 billion.
Of course, if the World Skyscraper Index is to be believed, Sky City could be a lynchpin indicator of the economic times to come.
Related articles
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Chinese Government Censoring as Many Positive As Negative Comments Online
It won't come as a great shock to long term China watchers that The Great Firewall is an annoying waste of time and money. The Chinese government considers controlling the Internet inside it's boundaries as a top priority and a major threat to its existence, as well as threat to the many web companies that pay good money to have western rivals blocked.
What might be surprising is new research that suggests the government is much more canny that we may have previously given them credit for. Lessons from the Arab Spring have taught the CCP that allowing criticism is ok, but posts that provide calls to action, which may even support the Chinese government are deleted.
The report, published yesterday by a group of Harvard students, also notes what some of us have known all along. Government rules are passed to individual ISPs and social networking sites, but it's up to the different companies to interpret the rules. Thus, not all censorship is born equal. The resultant effect is that that a "fuzzy line" is drawn, creating a panopticon, where it's not always possible to predict what will be censored and what won't.
Automatic review of posts made to social networks is an inelegant system badly implemented. At first glance, it looks like a good idea, but anyone who manages a website will know how quickly problems created by a bad word list can escalate into major catastrophes.
Search records from Google's time in China show that because of the Chinese affection for naming people using common nouns, it was possible for the character meaning "jiang" returned no results, at a time when rumors began swirling online about Jiang Zemin's declining helath, "jiang" made it to the bad word list. Unfortunately, since the same Chinese character can also mean "river", search relating to, say, the Yangtze Rive would also return no results.
Ultimately, people learn not to discuss even fringe topics concerning government policy, and stick to posting pictures amusing pictures of cats instead. The policy of publish first and review second will be familiar to those use regularly use Chinese social networking. Commonly known as being hairy crabbed, a nod to Hu Jin Tao's eupahism of "harmonizing" social media posts. The benefit of this system is that it allows people outside the sphere of Chinese influence to use API's published by web companies in order to present a "free" version of a censored social network.
For a revolution that was fought the in the name of the masses, the Chinese government seems to be hellbent on empowering the individual.
What might be surprising is new research that suggests the government is much more canny that we may have previously given them credit for. Lessons from the Arab Spring have taught the CCP that allowing criticism is ok, but posts that provide calls to action, which may even support the Chinese government are deleted.
The report, published yesterday by a group of Harvard students, also notes what some of us have known all along. Government rules are passed to individual ISPs and social networking sites, but it's up to the different companies to interpret the rules. Thus, not all censorship is born equal. The resultant effect is that that a "fuzzy line" is drawn, creating a panopticon, where it's not always possible to predict what will be censored and what won't.
Automatic review of posts made to social networks is an inelegant system badly implemented. At first glance, it looks like a good idea, but anyone who manages a website will know how quickly problems created by a bad word list can escalate into major catastrophes.
Search records from Google's time in China show that because of the Chinese affection for naming people using common nouns, it was possible for the character meaning "jiang" returned no results, at a time when rumors began swirling online about Jiang Zemin's declining helath, "jiang" made it to the bad word list. Unfortunately, since the same Chinese character can also mean "river", search relating to, say, the Yangtze Rive would also return no results.
Ultimately, people learn not to discuss even fringe topics concerning government policy, and stick to posting pictures amusing pictures of cats instead. The policy of publish first and review second will be familiar to those use regularly use Chinese social networking. Commonly known as being hairy crabbed, a nod to Hu Jin Tao's eupahism of "harmonizing" social media posts. The benefit of this system is that it allows people outside the sphere of Chinese influence to use API's published by web companies in order to present a "free" version of a censored social network.
For a revolution that was fought the in the name of the masses, the Chinese government seems to be hellbent on empowering the individual.
Related articles
Aussie Ambassador to China Concludes Pointless Tibet Visit
Frances Adamson, the Australian Ambassador to China has concluded a four day visit of Tibet.
Adamson had wanted to visit the region to investigate why so many Tibetans where self-immolating in Tibet and Qinghai.
Bob Carr, the Australian Foreign Minister had asked Ms. Adamson to speak to locals and "look into" why there had been 98 incidences of monks and ordinary Tibets setting themselves on fire. A month after her application had been submitted, she was subsequently denied a Tibetan permit by Chinese authorities.
Reports on the visit, however, don't seem to suggest that Ambassador Adamson raised any human rights issues on the trip that she had waited so long for permission to take.
The Australian Embassy posted a few pictures on it's website of Ms. Adamson meeting officials and local people, but suggests that nothing was looked into as far as self-immolation was concerned.
Adamson had wanted to visit the region to investigate why so many Tibetans where self-immolating in Tibet and Qinghai.
Bob Carr, the Australian Foreign Minister had asked Ms. Adamson to speak to locals and "look into" why there had been 98 incidences of monks and ordinary Tibets setting themselves on fire. A month after her application had been submitted, she was subsequently denied a Tibetan permit by Chinese authorities.
Reports on the visit, however, don't seem to suggest that Ambassador Adamson raised any human rights issues on the trip that she had waited so long for permission to take.
The Australian Embassy posted a few pictures on it's website of Ms. Adamson meeting officials and local people, but suggests that nothing was looked into as far as self-immolation was concerned.
Related articles
In China, Anti-Monopoly Laws Don't Apply to SEOs
Caixin is reporting that while there have been arrests, Mao-era self-criticisms, and corruption investigations into foreign companies this month, the anti-monopoly law which is five years old this year has been used only twice against state owned enterprises (SOEs).
The first use of the law was against TravelSky, which was "informally" investigated for price fixing, but eventually led to zero arrets or punishments. The second time a company was held up on anti-trust charges was in 2011, when an investigation was dropped against China Unicom and China Telecom - this particular case dropped the most both companies asked for it to be dropped.
By contrast, in August, the National Development and Reform Commission imposed record fines on no less than six foreign companies, following a swift investigation into price fixing.
The NDRC pocketed £71 million in fines. Such laws in China are passed to offer some comfort to foreign companies who need reassurance that their products or services are going to be protected to some extent by rule of law, but selectively enforcing laws to suit the financial needs of shady characters in government does little to inspire confidence.
The first use of the law was against TravelSky, which was "informally" investigated for price fixing, but eventually led to zero arrets or punishments. The second time a company was held up on anti-trust charges was in 2011, when an investigation was dropped against China Unicom and China Telecom - this particular case dropped the most both companies asked for it to be dropped.
By contrast, in August, the National Development and Reform Commission imposed record fines on no less than six foreign companies, following a swift investigation into price fixing.
The NDRC pocketed £71 million in fines. Such laws in China are passed to offer some comfort to foreign companies who need reassurance that their products or services are going to be protected to some extent by rule of law, but selectively enforcing laws to suit the financial needs of shady characters in government does little to inspire confidence.
Related articles
Chinese EV Company Trademark's "Snowdon". Or Snowden.
In a masterstroke of marketing, desperate bid to make a name for themselves and their new electric car, Hong Yuan Lan Xiang have signed a contract to produce a machine called..."The Snowdon".
Yes, not content with getting into a trademark war with Tesla Motors, the highly innovative and imaginative Chinese have ripped something off when they could've been doing actual work. Eager to make it sound like the company had put some thought into the decision to call the car The Snowdon.
Take it away, Zhu He Feng...
(in translation, by CCT)
Jing Hua: Why did you register the Snowdon brand?
Zhu He Feng: After researching and developing a series of technological secrets we thought that it linked nicely with the Snowden issue
JH: Are you not worried the application will be overturned?
JHF: In 2010 somepeople registered the Snowden name for clothing, so we are full of confidence.
JH: Do you plan to enter the American market?
JHF: We can’t say for sure. Snowden told the truth, not all Americans are out to get him.
JH: How did the ‘Snowden Electric Car’ road tour do?
ZHF: The ‘Snowden Electric Car Tour’ took place on Beijing’s 5th ring road and aimed to raise awareness of green issues, we went down Chang’an Avenue (in central Beijing) where we stopped by the Police and told to remove all of the Snowden imagery. We were really disappointed as there is currently no ministry or public office that is willing to prove that we have created a car capable of traveling 500km on a single charge.
Yes, not content with getting into a trademark war with Tesla Motors, the highly innovative and imaginative Chinese have ripped something off when they could've been doing actual work. Eager to make it sound like the company had put some thought into the decision to call the car The Snowdon.
Take it away, Zhu He Feng...
(in translation, by CCT)
Jing Hua: Why did you register the Snowdon brand?
Zhu He Feng: After researching and developing a series of technological secrets we thought that it linked nicely with the Snowden issue
JH: Are you not worried the application will be overturned?
JHF: In 2010 somepeople registered the Snowden name for clothing, so we are full of confidence.
JH: Do you plan to enter the American market?
JHF: We can’t say for sure. Snowden told the truth, not all Americans are out to get him.
JH: How did the ‘Snowden Electric Car’ road tour do?
ZHF: The ‘Snowden Electric Car Tour’ took place on Beijing’s 5th ring road and aimed to raise awareness of green issues, we went down Chang’an Avenue (in central Beijing) where we stopped by the Police and told to remove all of the Snowden imagery. We were really disappointed as there is currently no ministry or public office that is willing to prove that we have created a car capable of traveling 500km on a single charge.
Related articles
Moto X Costs $4 More to Be Made in the US
Google won praise for moving it's manufacturing plant from China to Texas, but there won't be a Made in America revolution anytime soon.
The extra cost of making the Moto X is a mere $4, but there are other reasons why tech companies won't be in a hurry to move their production bases from Asia back to the US. The first thing to remember is that the costs of production that have been bandied about on the Intertubes are just estimates, Google hasn't officially commented on the costs (yet).
According to industry experts, the Moto X cost $12 per phone to make the phone in America, whereas it costs Apple $8 per phone to make their iPhones in China, and 50 cents more for Samsung to have it's Galaxy S assembled China-side too. While a difference of four measly dollars might not look that much, per unit, it adds up to a hell of a difference - $550 million worth of a difference if you believe unofficial figures.
It's true that Apple is shifting it's production of the Macbook to the US, but the Macbook represents a minor product line compared with sales of iPads and iPhones.
The way that Chinese companies house their workers on-site in dorms improves effeciency, especially when last minute design changes are made. Larger pools of labour and technicians are available in China compared to the US - Apple has 300,000 technical staff supporting it's assembly line workers at their plant in China.
The extra cost of making the Moto X is a mere $4, but there are other reasons why tech companies won't be in a hurry to move their production bases from Asia back to the US. The first thing to remember is that the costs of production that have been bandied about on the Intertubes are just estimates, Google hasn't officially commented on the costs (yet).
According to industry experts, the Moto X cost $12 per phone to make the phone in America, whereas it costs Apple $8 per phone to make their iPhones in China, and 50 cents more for Samsung to have it's Galaxy S assembled China-side too. While a difference of four measly dollars might not look that much, per unit, it adds up to a hell of a difference - $550 million worth of a difference if you believe unofficial figures.
It's true that Apple is shifting it's production of the Macbook to the US, but the Macbook represents a minor product line compared with sales of iPads and iPhones.
The way that Chinese companies house their workers on-site in dorms improves effeciency, especially when last minute design changes are made. Larger pools of labour and technicians are available in China compared to the US - Apple has 300,000 technical staff supporting it's assembly line workers at their plant in China.
Related articles
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