Monday, March 05, 2018

Access to Justice (司法公正)

修憲草案倡增設「國家監察委員會」為最高監察機關 (National Supervisory Commission to become top supervision agency, says Constitution amendments draft)
Radio Television Hong Kong, March 5, 2018
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1383942-20180305.htm

Xi power play in focus as China parliament opens
Agence France-Presse, March 5, 2018
https://www.afp.com/en/news/826/xi-power-play-focus-china-parliament-opens-doc-11w6fs2

Related:
China's “two sessions”: Economics, environment and Xi's power
British Broadcasting Corporation, March 5, 2018
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43239646

Hu Jia and NPC: China's dissidents silenced by enforced “holidays”
British Broadcasting Corporation, March 5, 2018
http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-china-43278771/hu-jia-and-npc-china-s-dissidents-silenced-by-enforced-holidays

Access to Information (信息公开)

China presses its Internet censorship efforts cross the globe
冲出“防火长城”,中国互联网审查走向世界
The New York Times, March 2, 2018
EN: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/02/technology/china-technology-censorship-borders-expansion.html
CH: https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20180305/china-technology-censorship-borders-expansion/

人民日报:表情包也要有“法治脸” (People’s Daily: Internet memes should be based on public interest and comply with laws, not break moral code or contain superstitious content)
People’s Daily, March 2, 2018
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2018-03/02/nw.D110000renmrb_20180302_5-05.htm

多部门重拳整治网络直播间违法行为 记者调查发现网络直播平台“雾霾”正在消散 (“Content becomes more elegant” after multiple departments crack down on “illegal behavior” during live-streaming)
Legal Daily, March 2, 2018
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/index_article/content/2018-03/02/content_7485909.htm

Zhihu, China’s Quora, removed from app stores for one week for insufficient censorship
Shanghaiist, March 2, 2018
https://medium.com/shanghaiist/zhihu-chinas-quora-removed-from-app-stores-for-one-week-for-insufficient-censorship-bff15280741c

China bans George Orwell's Animal Farm and letter “N” as censors bolster Xi Jinping's plan to keep power indefinitely
Independent, March 1, 2018
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-animal-farm-ban-censorship-george-orwell-xi-jinping-power-letter-n-a8235071.html

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Five lawyers write to Minister of Justice: Cease the campaign-style political crackdown against China’s lawyers
China Change, March 2, 2018
https://chinachange.org/2018/03/02/five-lawyers-write-to-minister-of-justice-cease-the-campaign-style-political-crackdown-against-chinas-lawyers/

Related:
致司法部部长张军的一封公开信: 请终止对律师的运动式打压 (Open letter to Zhang Jun, Minister of Justice: Please cease the campaign-style political crackdown against lawyers)
Evernote, March 2, 2018
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s574/sh/bedbe526-4424-4624-9e1f-9a8813dd84ab/9a8ac8cd87c235d2cbe0435232acd755

Government Accountability (政府问责)

China to be more open to foreign investment, speed up Beijing-led trade bloc and strengthen its military: Li Keqiang
South China Morning Post, March 5, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2135619/what-will-chinas-parliamentary-session-reveal-about-its

China’s women-only subway cars, where men rush in
The New York Times, March 4, 2018
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/04/business/china-women-only-subway-cars.html

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Tencent CEO urges ID link for Hong Kong and Chinese citizens
Bloomberg, March 5, 2018
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-05/tencent-ceo-urges-id-link-for-hong-kong-and-chinese-citizens

The increasing use of artificial intelligence is stoking privacy concerns in China
South China Morning Post, March 5, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2135713/increasing-use-artificial-intelligence-stoking-privacy-concerns

“飞屏”“VR”来袭 北京检方首次启用可视化系统公诉 (Beijing procurators provide witnesses with virtual reality technology to reconstruct crime scene in court)
Xinhua News Agency, March 1, 2018
http://www.xinhuanet.com/legal/2018-03/01/c_1122474043.htm

National Security & Counterterrorism (国家安全和反恐)

China NPC: Government sets trillion yuan military budget
British Broadcasting Corporation, March 5, 2018
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-43282527

Europe once saw Xi Jinping as a hedge against Trump. Not anymore.
The New York Times, March 4, 2018
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/04/world/europe/europe-china-xi-trump-trade.html

Chinese police are demanding personal information from Uyghurs in France
Foreign Policy, March 2, 2018
http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/02/chinese-police-are-secretly-demanding-personal-information-from-french-citizens-uighurs-xinjiang/

China's cyber militias
The Diplomat, March 1, 2018
https://thediplomat.com/2018/03/chinas-cyber-militias/

Hong Kong (香港)

No plans to merge Hong Kong and Taiwan affairs offices, former Beijing official says
South China Morning Post, March 5, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2135638/no-plans-merge-hong-kong-and-taiwan-affairs-offices-former

Related:
China’s Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Offices to merge, top Beijing adviser says
Hong Kong Free Press, March 2, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/03/02/chinas-taiwan-hong-kong-macao-affairs-offices-merge-top-beijing-adviser-says/

Premier Li Keqiang declares China’s hold over Hong Kong is being strengthened, stops short of warning against independence
South China Morning Post, March 5, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2135685/premier-li-keqiang-declares-chinas-hold-over-hong-kong-being

Related:
China cuts reference to Hong Kong’s people governing themselves in key report
The Washington Post, March 5, 2018
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/03/05/china-cuts-reference-to-hong-kongs-people-governing-themselves-in-key-report/

Ex-lawmaker “Long Hair” cannot be charged with contempt for taking files from official, magistrate rules
Hong Kong Free Press, March 5, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/03/05/ex-lawmaker-long-hair-cannot-charged-contempt-taking-files-official-magistrate-rules/

區諾軒義工街頭遇襲骨裂 陳家珮強烈譴責促查 (Volunteer of pan-dems by-election hopeful Au Nok-hin attacked and suffered from fracture)
Mingpao, March 5, 2018
https://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20180305/s00001/1520207832250

Related:
Interview: Why accidental by-election hopeful Au Nok-hin is seeking your “protest vote”
Hong Kong Free Press, March 4, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/03/04/interview-accidental-election-hopeful-au-nok-hin-seeking-protest-vote/

Hong Kong’s McSleeper trend rises 50 per cent in three years, as NGO highlights vulnerability of women in the group
South China Morning Post, March 4, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2135647/hong-kongs-mcsleeper-trend-rises-50-cent-three-years-ngo

姚松炎的社區大計:我要同 48 萬人一齊做議員! (Edward Yiu’s big community plan: I will be a lawmaker together with 480,000 people!)
Stand News, March 2, 2018
http://bit.ly/2I2dBC8

Commentary (评论)

China’s “win-win” resolution is anything but
Human Rights Watch, March 5, 2018
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/03/05/chinas-win-win-resolution-anything

民主疲憊 文明倒退? (Democracy fatigue and civilization in regression)
Mingpao, March 5, 2018
https://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20180305/s00022/1520165472721

只有用宪法,宪法才有用 (Constitution can only be useful when used constitutionally)
Financial Times, March 5, 2018
http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001076552

With term limits move, Xi is setting himself up for failure
South China Morning Post, March 5, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2135418/term-limits-move-xi-setting-himself-failure

Related:
Xi Jinping’s power play: from president to China’s new dictator?
The Guardian, March 4, 2018
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/04/xi-jinping-from-president-to-china-new-dictator

Hong Kong in 2018 – time to pack your bags, or is there still room for utopianism?
Hong Kong Free Press, March 4, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/03/04/hong-kong-2018-time-pack-bags-still-room-utopianism/

High Court ruling on “live-in” rule guarantees further abuse of Hong Kong’s domestic workers
Hong Kong Free Press, March 4, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/03/04/high-court-ruling-live-rule-guarantees-abuse-hong-kongs-domestic-workers/