China

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1866754

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According to the Global Slavery Index (2023), over 50 million people are forced to live in conditions of modern slavery.

India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia have high numbers of people forced into modern slavery, mainly due to the large populations and economic disparities in these countries.

Much of the modern slavery there occurs in industries such as textiles, agriculture, manufacturing, and construction. For example, garment factories and brick kilns are known to exploit workers, forcing them to work long hours for low pay.

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Taiwan's digital ministry said on Friday that government departments should not use Chinese startup DeepSeek's artificial intelligence (AI) service, saying that as the product is from China it represents a security concern.

Democratically-governed Taiwan has long been wary of Chinese tech given Beijing's sovereignty claims over the island and its military and political threats against the government in Taipei.

In a statement, Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs said that government departments are not allowed to use DeepSeek's AI service to "prevent information security risks".

"DeepSeek's AI service is a Chinese product, and its operation involves cross-border transmission and information leakage and other information security concerns, and is a product that jeopardises the country's information security," the ministry said.

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Cross-post da: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1860385

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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. offered on Friday to remove a U.S. missile system from the Philippines if China halts what he called its “aggressive and coercive behavior” in the disputed South China Sea.

The U.S. Army installed the Typhon mid-range missile system in the northern Philippines in April last year to support what the longtime treaty allies described as training for joint combat readiness.

China has repeatedly demanded that the Philippines remove the missile system, saying it was “inciting geopolitical confrontation and an arms race.”

Asked by reporters about China’s criticism of the missile system, Marcos said he did not understand the Chinese position because the Philippines does not comment on China’s missile systems which “are a thousand times more powerful than what we have.”

“Let’s make a deal with China: Stop claiming our territory, stop harassing our fishermen and let them have a living, stop ramming our boats, stop water cannoning our people, stop firing lasers at us and stop your aggressive and coercive behavior, and we’ll return the typhoon missiles,” Marcos told reporters in central Cebu province.

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An explosion at a Chinese food market, visited just days earlier by President Xi Jinping and during Lunar New Year celebrations, has caused an unknown number of casualties.

Details about the incident in the city of Shenyang in China's north-east Liaoning province on Sunday remain scarce, with authorities apparently suppressing any reporting.

Chinese social media has been scrubbed of any mention.

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The number of injuries and possible deaths remains unknown as does the cause of the explosion.

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Pan Wang, an associate professor in Chinese and Asian Studies at the University of New South Wales, said the suppression of information about the incident may not be permanent.

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Dr Wang said it was unsurprising that news of the weekend's incident was being censored regardless of whether the explosion was an accident or deliberate.

"The timing so soon after Xi's visit and during the New Year celebrations is key," she said.

"It's a big significant festival for all Chinese.

"It's supposed to be a harmonious time, stable, with food and happiness."

However, she said the authorities would be better off being honest and timely with the public about what happened.

"In the absence of information, misinformation and disinformation can be circulated which will likely run counter to the authorities' intention to control public opinion," she said.

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For the third consecutive year, China’s population has declined. To revive the country’s birth rate, authorities are relying on incentive-based policies as well as intrusive campaigns targeting women.

"Are you pregnant?” “When was your last period?” These are the types of intrusive questions Chinese women of childbearing age might face [...] Dozens of Chinese women reported receiving intrusive phone calls from government officials or family planning workers. Their goal? To encourage couples to have one, two, or ideally three children. “These calls aim to exert strong social pressure on women,” explained Isabelle Attané, a sinologist and demographer at the French National Institute for Demographic Studies.

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Amid demographic decline, the Chinese government appears willing to infringe on women’s rights. Access to abortion—currently permitted at all stages of pregnancy—has become a hot topic of debate in government circles. According to Isabelle Attané, contraception is also now under scrutiny: “During the one-child policy, all married couples had access to free contraception, but today the government may roll back those measures.”

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Despite its efforts, China has struggled to escape the demographic crisis it has plunged itself into. In 1979, the People’s Republic of China implemented the one-child policy. Economic penalties facilitated access to contraception, and even forced abortions allowed the government to limit births for nearly four decades.

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Starting a family: A costly investment

The government adjusted its natality policies again in 2021 when the second amendment to the Population and Family Planning Law was adopted. Couples can now have up to three children and receive public support. The law includes extended maternity leave, expanded childcare services in workplaces, and increased social benefits for parents.

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These measures are especially welcome in a country where starting a family is a significant financial burden. A recent study published in Yangzi Wanbao found that China is the second-most expensive country in the world to raise a child, costing around $73,000—six times the per capita GDP.

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• BYD contractor Jinjiang imposed restrictive labor conditions on Chinese workers
• BYD denies knowledge of labor violations, claims unawareness until media reports
• BYD and Jinjiang face charges for obstructing Brazilian labor investigation

The workers who traveled from China to northeast Brazil to build a new factory for electric car maker BYD earned roughly $70 per 10-hour shift, over twice the Chinese hourly minimum wage in many regions. For many, that made signing up an easy decision - but getting out would be much harder.

The Chinese workers hired by BYD contractor Jinjiang in Brazil had to hand over their passports to their new employer, let most of their wages be sent directly to China, and fork over an almost $900 deposit that they could only get back after six months' work, according to a labor contract seen by Reuters.

The three-page document, signed by one of 163 workers who labor inspectors said were freed from "slavery-like conditions" last month, includes clauses that violate labor laws in both Brazil and China, according to Brazilian investigators and three Chinese labor law experts.

Other previously unreported clauses gave the firm the power to unilaterally extend the labor contract for six months and issue 200 yuan fines for conduct such as swearing, quarreling or walking around shirtless at the site or in their living quarters.

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Many of the clauses "are textbook 'red flags' of forced labor," said Aaron Halegua, a lawyer and fellow at New York University Law School, who won compensation for Chinese workers who sued their employers for forced labor in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory.

He added that withholding workers’ passports or requiring any form of performance bond or security payment would not be permitted under Chinese laws and regulations.

Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners.

The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties.

In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties.

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Since 2016, China has annexed a number of areas of Bhutan that have for decades, if not centuries, been shown on Bhutanese, international and, till recently, even on many Chinese maps as parts of Bhutan. Research [...] has found that over the last 8 years, China has quietly constructed 22 villages and settlements with a total of some 2,280 residential units in those areas of Bhutan, together with a network of roads, military installations, barracks, outposts and supporting infrastructure. Approximately 7,000 people have been relocated from Tibet (now part of China) to live in those villages, together with what is estimated to be a similar number of officials, construction workers and soldiers. As a result, in the last decade or so Bhutan has lost some 2% of its territory.

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It is not clear why China has been willing to break a bilateral agreement and international law to get these areas [in Buthan] – they are high-altitude grassland with no permanent inhabitants till now, used by the Bhutanese only for yak-grazing and as a nature reserve. Unlike the Doklam plateau, they are not of evident strategic significance to China. But China now has full military and administrative control of those territories, and there is nothing Bhutan can do about it – it has an army of less than 8,000 troops, and there is no sign that India would resort to military intervention on the Bhutan-China border again other than on the Doklam plateau.

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Chinese media have published hundreds of reports about the happy lives of residents in the new [annexed] villages, none of which mention that these are on territory that has long been part of Bhutan and are now disputed. But in its first ever official statement on the annexations, given to CNN in November 2024, China’s foreign ministry appeared to admit that the areas where it has built the new villages are disputed: “China and Bhutan have their own claims regarding the territorial status of the relevant region.” This was followed by an explanation as to why it is carrying out construction and mass population settlements in these disputed areas: “China’s construction activities in the border region with Bhutan are aimed at improving the local livelihoods.” This is a perfectly circular argument since these areas had no residents until China began to build the new cross-border villages eight years ago.

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The apparent purpose of these moves by China is to obtain an area of western Bhutan known as the Doklam plateau, because control of that plateau would give China a military advantage in its ongoing conflicts with India – it overlooks the narrow land strip, known as the Siliguri Corridor, that links India’s heartlands with its seven north-eastern provinces. China has already annexed two-thirds of the 89-sq km Doklam plateau by building roads, military installations and barracks there. It was only deterred from securing the remaining, southern segment by Indian military intervention in 2017.

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cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1847974

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese online marketplaces Temu and Shein have gained significant popularity. By gamifying and glamorizing online shopping, these platforms have revolutionized e-commerce, becoming some of the most downloaded apps worldwide and attracting millions of users. To mitigate concerns over their ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), both companies have sought to downplay their origins.

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[Shein and Temu's] success is, however, intertwined with practices that raise serious concerns about forced labor, data privacy, and geopolitical influence. Not only have both companies been accused of failing to comply with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), but as entities subject to China’s National Intelligence Law, they both may act as conduits for the Chinese government to access vast amounts of private consumer data for surveillance, collection, and even cyber warfare. Yet, despite efforts by both the US and the EU to investigate these practices, enforce existing forced labor prevention and digital services acts, and raise awareness of risks associated with these apps, the frenzy continues.

''' Even more troubling are allegations about the companies’ sourcing practices, particularly in relation to forced labor in Xinjiang. For instance, while Shein was found to have violated the UFLPA by sourcing cotton from Xinjiang, Temu lacks a framework to ensure compliance with the law. Not only does Temu not audit any of its roughly 80,000 third-party sellers and their compliance with the UFLPA, it has also admitted that it “does not expressly prohibit third-party sellers from selling products based on their origin in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region.” Furthermore, Temu’s parent company PDD Holdings has in the past been accused of requiring its workers to work 380 hours per month, which resulted in several deaths. As such, it is possible that the two companies are effectively enabling forced labor and perpetuating human rights abuses linked to the CCP’s repression of Uyghurs.

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While data mining for business purposes is common, Chinese apps like Temu and Shein are said to go beyond what is needed for their e-commerce activities. The scale of data that is being collected by the two companies is directly related to their marketing strategies and the emphasis on selling advertisement services. For instance, in 2022, only 20 percent of Temu’s revenue was derived from customer sales, while 80 percent came from advertising, which requires large-scale data capture and processing. Shein’s app also requests consumers to provide it with access to data from other applications, such as social media, in exchange for discounts and special deals.

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Ai Weiwei has addressed Chinese-owned AI DeepSeek’s refusal to answer questions about the artist, telling Hyperallergic that the AI chatbot’s responses recall the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) strategy of “denying universally accepted values while actively rejecting them in practice.”

The Chinese-owned AI assistant sent shockwaves through the global stock market this week as it dethroned ChatGPT as the number-one free application on Apple’s App Store. But its tendency to churn out responses evading historically censored topics has also become apparent. Responding to a series of questions asked by Hyperallergic about dissident artists, cultural institutions in Taiwan and Tibet, and the destruction of mosques in the Xinjiang region, DeepSeek expressed faith in China’s “judicial organs” and said that artistic endeavors were “thriving under the leadership of the Party and government.”

“Ultimately, no matter how much China develops, strengthens, or even hypothetically becomes the world’s leading power, which is likely, the values it upholds will continue to suffer from a profound and inescapable flaw in its ideological immune system: an inability to tolerate dissent, debate, or the emergence of new value systems,” Ai said in an e-mailed statement to Hyperallergic, which is reproduced in its entirety at the end of this article.

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cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1840090

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Germany is under attack from China, a senior German opposition MP has warned, as Berlin grapples with a fresh wave of cyber attacks and espionage plots.

Roderich Kiesewetter, the crisis prevention spokesman for the centre-Right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said Germans needed to stop thinking of China as a “partner”.

“Many in Germany are turning a blind eye … China is no longer a partner, but a systemic rival that is attacking us,” Mr Kiesewetter, a former colonel in the Bundeswehr, told The Telegraph.

“Germany is at the centre of Chinese hybrid influence operations in Europe – it uses all the tools in its toolbox; espionage, sabotage, lawfare, repression and disinformation,” added Mr Kiesewetter, who is also the deputy chairman of the German parliament’s intelligence committee.

His comments are a major intervention in Germany, where China wields immense influence over the economy despite rising tensions over Beijing’s tacit support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and apparent plans to invade Taiwan.

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Human rights activists criticize China's AI platform DeepSeek for enabling state propaganda, suppressing discussions, and collecting personal data. Concerns rise over ethical risks and digital repression, with fears that the Chinese Communist Party could misuse the platform to silence dissent.

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Rushan Abbas, Executive Director of the Campaign for Uyghurs, condemned the AI platform on social media, warning of its implications. “It collects sensitive data that would benefit the CCP, a regime known for human rights abuses,” she stated. “Chinese AI platforms and apps fuel threats, including digital transnational repression. We can't afford to overlook this.”

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[Swiss digital law specialist Jan] Czarnocki recounted how the AI avoided acknowledging reports of genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, instead offering pre-formulated responses that downplayed concerns. He urged that DeepSeek’s open-source framework be retrained using verified information to ensure accuracy and reduce reliance on Chinese-controlled APIs.

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cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1839567

Here is the link to the report: https://graphika.com/reports/chinese-state-influence

A Chinese social media operation that aims to whip up political anger in the West has called for the overthrow of a foreign government when impersonating protesters criticising flood relief efforts in Spain, online analysis outfit Graphika said.

Graphika said an operation dubbed Spamouflage, which it believed was linked to the Chinese state, posed this month as human rights group Safeguard Defenders to spread online calls for the government to be toppled in response to the catastrophic floods in October that killed 224 people.

"This is the first time we have seen Spamouflage directly calling to overthrow a foreign government," Graphika said in its latest report.

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The report also finds:

• Chinese covert influence operations have impersonated human rights organizations critical of Beijing, almost certainly in an effort to discredit their activities and disrupt domestic political conversations in Western countries. The state-linked Spamouflage operation, for instance, has repeatedly targeted the Spain-based non-profit Safeguard Defenders and in January posed as the organization to spread online calls for the Spanish government to be overthrown in response to deadly floods in Valencia. This is the first time we have seen Spamouflage directly calling for the overthrow of a foreign government.
• Chinese state influence actors and pro-China communities continue to leverage international trade issues in their efforts to advance Beijing’s strategic interests. In recent weeks, this has included attempts to orchestrate a boycott of Japanese retail brand Uniqlo due to the company’s reported refusal to use cotton from China’s Xinjiang region, and efforts to exacerbate tensions between the U.S. and Japan over a blocked steel company merger.
• Chinese officials and state media have used social media and other online platforms to dismiss and deflect allegations of Chinese state hacking activity. After Japan accused China in January of orchestrating a years-long hacking campaign against Japanese government agencies and companies, for example, Chinese state actors spread statements dismissing the allegations as groundless and disseminated cartoons casting Tokyo as an agent of U.S. “disinformation.”
• Overt and covert Chinese state influence actors have engaged in a sustained effort to advance narratives that reinforce Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and attempt to legitimize its activities in the region. In November, these actors amplified comments by an international law scholar that appeared to support China’s position.

Really we all could benefit from this

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1835428

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1835375

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1835374

DeepSeek-R1 is a blockbuster open-source model that is now at the top of the U.S. App Store.

As a Chinese company, DeepSeek is beholden to CCP policy. This is reflected even in the open-source model, prompting concerns about censorship and other influence.

Today we’re publishing a dataset of prompts covering sensitive topics that are likely to be censored by the CCP. These topics include perennial issues like Taiwanese independence, historical narratives around the Cultural Revolution, and questions about Xi Jinping.

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• Taiwan is acting against media organizations operating in the country that are affiliated with the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) party-state.
• In early January, Taiwan’s government revoked the operating license of the magazine Strait Herald following revelations about its influence and infiltration activities.
• A sharp increase in disinformation targeting Taiwan in 2024 has prompted robust countermeasures, legislative reforms, enhanced cognitive warfare defenses, and international collaboration to combat PRC influence operations.
• Calls to improve Taiwan’s national security framework, including by setting up courts dedicated to prosecuting espionage and infiltration cases, indicate how vulnerable Taiwan remains to digital and media influence operations.

[...]

There are currently eight PRC media outlets operating in Taiwan with 12 correspondents, according to recent reporting. These include People’s Daily (人民日报), Xinhua News Agency (新华社), China Central Television (CCTV; 中央电视台), China National Radio (中央人民广播电台), China News Service (CNS;中新社), Xiamen Media Group (厦门卫视), Strait Herald (海峡导报), and Hunan Broadcasting System (湖南广电) (VOA, January 3). Although they ostensibly function as independent media organizations, all are party–state-controlled entities aligned with CCP strategic interests and objectives.

These outlets reinforce the Party’s propaganda strategy in Taiwan. Among them, six—People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, China National Radio, CNS, and Hunan Broadcasting System—fall under the centralized management of the CCP’s Propaganda Department. Xinhua serves as Beijing’s primary news agency and global propaganda arm, while the People’s Daily operates as the official newspaper of the CCP, amplifying its policies and political messaging. CCTV and China National Radio are central broadcasters tasked with spreading pro-Beijing narratives. CNS, though smaller, is integral to united front operations, engaging in partnerships with Taiwanese organizations to subtly influence public opinion.

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cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/18199612

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China’s DeepSeek AI model represents a transformative development in China’s AI capabilities, and its implications for cyberattacks and data privacy are particularly alarming. By leveraging DeepSeek, China is on its way to revolutionizing its cyber-espionage, cyberwarfare, and information operations.

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DeepSeek’s advanced AI architecture, built on access to vast datasets and cutting-edge processing capabilities, is particularly suited for offensive cybersecurity operations and large-scale exploitation of sensitive information. It is designed to operate in complex and dynamic environments, potentially making it superior in applications like military simulations, geopolitical analysis, and real-time decision-making.

DeepSeek was founded by Liang Wenfeng, co-founder of High-Flyer, a quantitative hedge fund [...] Wenfeng developed DeepSeek cheaper and faster than U.S. companies by exploiting China’s vast datasets [...]

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Wenfeng’s close ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) raises the specter of having had access to the fruits of CCP espionage, [...] Over the past decade, Chinese state-sponsored actors and affiliated individuals have come under heightened scrutiny for targeting U.S. AI startups, academic labs, and technology giants in attempts to acquire algorithms, source code, and proprietary data that power machine learning systems.

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Within the U.S., several high-profile criminal cases have placed a spotlight on the theft of AI-related trade secrets. Although many investigations involve corporate espionage more generally, AI has become a particularly attractive prize due to its utility in strategic industries such as autonomous vehicles, facial recognition, cybersecurity, and advanced robotics.

One well-known incident involved alleged theft of autonomous vehicle technology at Apple’s secretive self-driving car project, where a Chinese-born engineer was accused of downloading large volumes of proprietary data shortly before planning to relocate to a Chinese competitor. In another case, a separate Apple employee was charged with attempting to smuggle similar self-driving car information out of the country. Both cases underscored the vulnerability of AI research to insider threats, as employees with privileged access to code or algorithms can quickly copy crucial files.

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DeepSeek also poses a unique threat in the realm of advanced persistent threats (APTs) – long-term cyber-espionage campaigns often attributed to state actors. The model could be used to sift through massive volumes of encrypted or obfuscated data, correlating seemingly unrelated pieces of information to uncover sensitive intelligence. This might include classified government communications, corporate trade secrets, or personal data of high-ranking officials. DeepSeek’s ability to detect hidden patterns could supercharge such campaigns, enabling more precise targeting and greater success in exfiltrating valuable information.

DeepSeek’s generative capabilities add another layer of danger, particularly in the realm of social engineering and misinformation. For example, it could create hyper-realistic phishing emails or messages, tailored to individuals using insights derived from breached datasets. These communications could bypass traditional detection systems and manipulate individuals into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords or financial data. This is especially relevant given the growing use of AI in creating synthetic identities and deepfakes, which could further deceive targets into trusting malicious communications.

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China’s already substantial surveillance infrastructure and relaxed data privacy laws give it a significant advantage in training AI models like DeepSeek. This includes access to domestic data sources as well as data acquired through cyber-espionage and partnerships with other nations.

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DeepSeek has the potential to reshape the cyber-threat landscape in ways that disproportionately harm the U.S. and the West. Its ability to identify vulnerabilities, enhance social engineering, and exploit vast quantities of sensitive data represents a critical challenge to cybersecurity and privacy.

If left unchecked, DeepSeek could not only elevate China’s cyber capabilities but also redefine global norms around data privacy and security, with long-term consequences for democratic institutions and personal freedoms.

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Ambassadors from France, Japan, the European Union, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to safeguarding regional stability and maritime sovereignty during a maritime security forum organized by the Stratbase Institute in partnership with the French Embassy in the Philippines,

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Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya reiterated Japan’s commitment to upholding the rule of law as outlined in the UNCLOS.

“Japan stands ready to work closely with the Philippines, ASEAN, and the international community to advance a Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” he declared.

European Union Delegation Ambassador Massimo Santoro underscored the importance of a rule-based order in the Indo-Pacific.

“A region free from coercion is key to our collective stability, peace, and prosperity. Strategic partnerships are central to the EU’s approach to the Indo-Pacific, promoting cooperation over confrontation,” he explained.

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cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/18197723

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Although Beijing appeared to score a propaganda coup last week when hundreds of thousands of American TikTok users flooded to the social media app RedNote, observers say the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is worried about any cross-cultural exchanges happening online.

The Chinese government blocks various U.S.-based platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and X, which are only accessible via virtual personal network. The government also heavily censors topics considered sensitive to policymakers.

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Dali Yang, William Claude Reavis political science professor at the University of Chicago, wrote on [social media]:

"Apparently Xiaohongshu is frantically trying to adapt to both accommodate these new American users but also reduce their interactions with Chinese domestic users. Haha, that sounds like going in the direction of what Bytedance did with Douyin/Tiktok."

Rush Doshi, senior fellow for China and director of the Initiative on China Strategy at the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote [on social media]:

"The PRC end game will be to bifurcate the app, as they did with Douyin, between a foreign and domestic version to avoid too much interaction between US and PRC users.

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After indicating he would rescue TikTok, Trump on Monday signed an executive order postponing the TikTok ban for 75 days.

He has suggested, however, that the U.S. should acquire a 50 percent ownership in the company, telling reporters it is "worthless" if he doesn't approve a deal to keep it going in the country.

Evan Feigenbaum, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told CNBC such a joint venture is unlikely, given that China regulates the algorithms as national security property and that China is "basically being asked to force over its core intellectual property."

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In a related article, The Diplomat reports that unlike TikTok, RedNote primarily operates in China. As a result, concerns over content censorship, data privacy, and CCP control are even greater.

RedNote imposes strict content censorship on the posts visible on the platform. Discussions on politics are generally limited and hidden. Similar to the situations in other Chinese-controlled websites and mobile applications, users need to use jargon, memes, acronyms, and intentionally mistyped words or characters to express limited opinions on public affairs in China. The platform [RedNote] has a notorious record of limiting LGBTQ-related topics. Media reports suggest that some U.S. users have already seen their posts taken down by RedNote as they are deemed “too sensitive.”

The significant number of U.S. users entering the app led to some unplanned pressure for RedNote to fulfill its censorship requirements imposed by the Chinese cyberspace administration officials. After the first wave of user influx, RedNote was reported to be urgently hiring English-language content moderation employees. The job posting has no prior job experience requirements for the new hires and offers the recruits paid training. Reports also suggest that RedNote is developing features that segregate users based on their IP address to minimize its political and content moderation risks.

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• Analysis of two nationally representative surveys in China from 1995 to 2017 reveals that wealth (assets minus liabilities) of households with at least one CCP member is 21–24% higher than similar households without CCP [Chinese Communist Party] members.
• The CCP wealth premium is explained in part by preferential access for CCP households to more valuable housing at lower prices compared to similar non-CCP households during the early years of housing privatization.
• The most recent survey (2013–2017) reveals the wealth of CCP households grew faster than similar non-CCP households, especially among the wealthiest 5%, driven primarily by higher levels of capital gains.
• For all wealth levels, CCP membership was a stronger predictor of wealth growth than level of education.

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Privately owned real estate today accounts for 84% of the gross total wealth across urban households — by far the largest component of private wealth. In the 1970s, however, virtually all urban housing stock in China was publicly owned.

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CCP households were less likely to self-build houses and more likely to either inherit or purchase homes through preferential policies, while non-CCP households invested more in self-built housing — typically the least profitable form of housing investment, especially for those at the lower end of the wealth spectrum. As a result, CCP households were better positioned to acquire high-value homes at lower prices, amplifying wealth disparities over time.

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The findings underscore the enduring wealth advantages CCP households enjoy compared to similar non-CCP households up and down the wealth distribution. The mechanisms identified in this research include preferential access to housing in the early phases of urban real estate privatization and faster wealth accumulation through capital gains in recent years.

Cross-post da: https://beehaw.org/post/18184159

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The Chinese government is revolutionizing digital surveillance at home and exporting these technologies abroad. [The study focuses on] Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunications provider, which is partly state-owned and increasingly regarded as an instrument of its foreign policy.

The transfers [of technology between China and foreign countries] have sparked widespread concern among observers. These tools of digital dictatorship, many argue, will let recipient governments expand surveillance and reinforce the wave of autocratic retrenchment and democratic erosion currently underway.

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The [foreign] governments that receive Huawei transfers are systematically different than those that do not, and in ways that may be correlated with state repression.

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The Chinese Communist Party's Surveillance State

The Information Age has revolutionized surveillance in the world’s autocracies. In 1998, the CCP launched the Golden Shield Project, which [one researcher] describes as “a domestic surveillance and filtering system that integrates online government databases with an all-encompassing surveillance network.”Footnote 3 In the first phase, completed in 2005, the CCP built a massive network of population databases, ID tracking systems, and internet surveillance tools, which let it record the movement of potential dissidents as revealed, in part, by their online behavior. In 2017, the CCP announced the completion of its “Sky Net” program, which entails 176 million surveillance cameras across China and plans for 626 million by 2020, nearly one camera for every two citizens (Hersey Reference Hersey2017; Russell Reference Russell2017). The result, Qiang (Reference Qiang2019) writes, is “the largest video-surveillance network in the world.”

Simultaneously, the CCP built a facial database that encompassed every adult citizen [...] and a DNA database [...]. The CCP’s facial recognition technology is employed for check-in and security at airports [...] train stations [...] and hotels [...].. In 2017, the CCP applied facial recognition technology to detect jaywalkers, with offenders notified via text message and their pictures displayed at major intersections [...]. This pervasive surveillance apparatus lets the CCP repress dissidents and spend less on public goods [...]. It also complements more analog forms of repression, such as informants and hired thugs [...]. Digital surveillance [in China] is now a conspicuous feature of everyday life.

[...] ** The CCP’s digital surveillance apparatus is supported by a network of domestic technology firms, which are subsidized by the state and routinely used as instruments of foreign policy**. The most general are Huawei and ZTE. Huawei is the world’s largest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment [...], and especially dominant in Africa, where it has provided 70% of the 5G network.

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China has a number of more focused technology firms that are implicated in surveillance. Several of these specialize in video cameras and facial recognition software: Hikvision, Dahua, CloudWalk, Megvii, YITU, and SenseTime, most notably. Of these, Hikvision is perhaps the most consequential. In 2019, it was responsible for nearly a quarter of the world’s surveillance cameras [...].Dahua has also supplied cameras for Safe City projects, so called for their use of digital surveillance to support the local security apparatus [...]. Other firms specialize in still different areas of surveillance. Meiya Pico reportedly built an app used by the Chinese government to extract data from citizens’ smartphones during street checks [...]. iFlytek develops voice recognition software [...].

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Huawei transfers are [...] more likely if the recipient government has a preexisting relationship with Beijing. The effects of these transfers [...] depend on political institutions in recipient countries. In autocracies, where the chief political threat to incumbents is collective action by citizens and institutional oversight is weak, Huawei transfers lead to an expansion of digital surveillance, internet shutdowns, internet filtering, and targeted arrests for online content. In democracies, where governments have stronger incentivizes to provide public goods, institutional oversight is stronger, and civil societies are more vibrant, Huawei transfers have no clear or consistent effect on digital repression.

[...]

Since Huawei is secretive about its contracts, our statistical estimates may be subject to measurement error. Huawei contracts, like other Chinese infrastructure contracts, routinely include confidentiality clauses [...], which prohibit recipient governments from divulging information about them. Consequently, our record of Huawei transfers may be incomplete, which would effectively include some treated countries in the control group. Since this would bias against our key results, our statistical estimates should be regarded as lower bounds, with the actual effect potentially larger. Third, Huawei’s secrecy means that we also lack fine-grained data about what its transfers entail.

[...]

Transfers that entail “Safe City” infrastructure, for instance, are almost certainly more likely to facilitate digital repression than contracts that focus on IT training for university students. Likewise, Huawei may be inclined to provide some recipient governments more direct personnel support than others, helping them overcome state capacity limitations that might otherwise prevent them from using technology transfers for digital repression.

[...]

Archived

A prominent Shanghai surgeon pointed to anaesthetics that do not put patients to sleep. A respected Beijing cardiologist questioned blood pressure medication that failed to regulate. A former editor at a leading online health platform went as far as to accuse domestic drugmakers of fraud.

The concerns became public discussions this past week when some top doctors and hospital leaders called on the government to change how it buys drugs for its public hospitals.

[...]

The outburst of scrutiny, unusual in a country where the authorities keep a tight grip on public criticism of the government, was a rebuke of Beijing’s campaign to lower medical costs. Officials are working to shore up China’s national healthcare system, which is under financial pressure in part because of a rapidly ageing population.

The policy, which was put in place in 2018, encourages fierce competition between drug manufacturers and has been successful at sharply driving down drug prices. But in 2025, foreign-branded drugs have been largely absent from the government list of medicines covered under China’s national health insurance and offered at public hospitals.

The change has effectively pushed out many foreign pharmaceutical companies that do not want to compete against Chinese companies willing to sell their drugs at rock-bottom prices.

[...]

Now, doctors are sounding the alarm about the efficacy of some of the domestic drugs. The doctors are seeking changes to give patients the choice to pay more for alternatives.

“There have always been grumblings that if you cut the price, manufacturers will cut corners,” said Ms Helen Chen, a managing partner and healthcare expert at L.E.K. Consulting in Shanghai.

“Now there are some public voices saying it is happening,” she added.

After years of failing to reduce costs, the government created a central bidding system that favoured cheaper medicines, which in most cases have been generics made by Chinese companies. In exchange, the government guaranteed to purchase more from each supplier.

Public hospitals account for about 70 per cent of China’s drug market. Patients who use private clinics have easier access to a wider choice of medication, including foreign brands.

[...]

“The numbers are exactly the same, down even to two decimal places,” wrote Dr Xia, former deputy editor-in-chief of Ding Xiang Doctor, a popular online forum for medical professionals.

“It’s Chinese generic drugs that have bad quality,” he said.

In a statement on Jan 24, a unit of China’s National Medical Products Administration acknowledged the duplicated data, saying it was the result of “editing errors when the relevant product information was disclosed”.

The issue has hit a raw nerve at a time when many people are feeling a sense of insecurity from China’s real estate downturn and sputtering consumer economy.

[...]

Cross-post da: https://beehaw.org/post/18183759

Archived

EU to continue WTO case against China’s restrictions on Lithuania over Beijing's alleged coercive activity following the opening of the Taiwanese representative office in Vilnius

The World Trade Organusation (WTO) case was opened in 2022 after China imposed restrictions on imports from Lithuania following the opening of the Taiwanese representative office in Vilnius.

In January 2024, it was reported that the EC had decided to temporarily suspend the proceedings, calling it “a procedural step taken for technical reasons related to the need to assess certain elements”.

Suspension means that the case is not formally closed, but that the proceedings are not ongoing. The proceedings may be suspended for a maximum of one year, after which the case is closed altogether if not renewed.

[...]

Before the EC announced its decision, Beijing issued a press release calling for talks and a solution to the problem.

“The door to dialogue is always open, and China is ready to strengthen communication and exchanges with Lithuania on the basis of respect and common approach and to seek ways to overcome the current situation while respecting the ‘one China’ principle,” Fang Mei, counsellor of the Chinese Mission to the European Union, was quoted in a commentary circulated to the media.

Archived

A forum in Bangkok this month underscored China’s ambition to work with local partners in Southeast Asia to impact public opinion there. A closer look at one of the propaganda vehicles meant to accomplish this goal suggests carelessness reigns down below such high-level exchanges.

On January 17, a high-profile forum on Sino-Thai cooperation in Bangkok brought together journalists, media specialists, and think tank researchers from both countries. Attended by former Thai deputy prime minister Pinit Jarusombat, who in retirement has become a regular on PRC state media to stress the importance of cultural ties, was also an opportunity for Beijing to outline its vision for media cooperation — which emphasizes the dominance of narratives in the favor of China’s leadership.

Pinit serves as president of the Thai-Chinese Cultural Relationship Council (泰中文化促进委员会), which was formed in 2020 as a platform for intergovernmental cooperation, and also as vice president of the Beijing-based International Confucian Association. He said the dialogue, called “Our Golden Friendship,” aspired to “promote the role of the media and think tanks to better connect people.”

But Pinit wasn’t the only VIP in the crowd. Gao Anming (高岸明), vice president and editor-in-chief for the China International Communications Group (中国外文局) run by the CCP’s Central Propaganda Department, was also there to outline China’s vision for media and communication. He described media outlets as “important platforms for disseminating information and channeling public opinion.” The latter phrase, emerging under Hu Jintao in 2008, refers to the CCP’s efforts to better direct public discourse toward the goals and agendas of China’s leadership. It is closely related to another term, “public opinion guidance” (舆论导向), which is a crucial phrase in the CCP’s vocabulary on press and information control in China.

Gao’s reference to “public opinion channeling” (引导舆论) in the context of think tanks and bilateral media cooperation suggested the focus — for China at least — was on manipulating the conversation over Thai-Chinese relations, and moving the agenda in China’s favored direction.

[...]

A simple WordPress-based website for China Report ASEAN offers English-language coverage emphasizing the benefits of Chinese infrastructure investment in Southeast Asia, including Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative. But a closer look at the publication’s online presence reveals an awkward oversight duplicated across the publication’s Facebook page, which has more than 500,000 followers, as well as its Youtube and X accounts. All of these accounts give “chinareportasean.com” as the outlet’s online address. Indeed, registration records indicate that the domain was first activated in 2017, the same year that China Report ASEAN was launched.

Before readers visit this web address, however, they may wish to know that it links not to China Report ASEAN but to a Chinese gambling site. China remains determined to impact global discourse and conduct effective international communication. But in the topsy turvy world of the CCP’s “external propaganda,” where everyone is anxious for results — strange things can happen.