The HRIC Daily Brief is a daily selection of news stories and commentary related to human rights in China, drawn from Chinese- and English-language news and online media sources that we monitor daily. In addition to headlines and source links, HRIC also provides English translation of Chinese headlines.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Access to Information (信息公开)

Cash-strapped Beijing Times to stop publishing at end of year
South China Morning Post, November 14, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2045613/cash-strapped-beijing-times-stop-publishing-end-year

Interview: Prize-winning Chinese citizen journalism website still going strong despite suppression
Hong Kong Free Press, November 12, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/11/12/interview-prize-winning-chinese-citizen-journalism-website-still-going-strong-despite-suppression/

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

China also is going to the polls. But you’d barely know it.
The Washington Post, November 11, 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/china-is-also-going-to-the-polls-but-youd-barely-know-it/2016/11/10/a7ad8666-a049-11e6-8864-6f892cad0865_story.html

中国民间发起联署要求释放肖育辉 (Chinese civilians organize joint petition demanding release of Xiao Yuhui)
Radio Free Asia, November 13, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/yf1-11132016084745.html

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Former top graft-buster gets suspended death sentence for taking bribes
South China Morning Post, November 11, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2045197/former-top-graft-buster-gets-suspended-death-sentence-taking-bribes

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

China is the obstacle to Google’s plan to end Internet censorship
Hong Kong Free Press, November 13, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/11/13/china-obstacle-googles-plan-end-internet-censorship/

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong politician calls pro-independence activists “cancer cells” at rally of thousands
The Guardian, November 14, 2016
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/14/hong-kong-politician-calls-pro-independence-activists-cancer-cells-rally-thousands-china

Related:
Protesters claim they were paid to attend pro-Beijing rally in support of China’s ruling on oath row
Hong Kong Free Press, November 14, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/11/14/protesters-claim-they-were-paid-to-attend-pro-beijing-rally-in-support-of-chinas-ruling-on-oath-row/

反港獨撐釋法萬人集會 有參加者不知釋法內容稱「要睇返報紙」 (Anti-Hong Kong independence and pro-NPC interpretation rally—some participants ignorant of the interpretation content, saying they have to “check that again from newspapers”)
Ming Pao, November 14, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20161113/s00001/1479031461594

China issues unity warning amid fears of political “purge” in Hong Kong
Radio Free Asia, November 11, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/hongkong-xi-11112016140936.html

Hong Kong writers relaunch literary group in face of “unprecedented” threat to free speech
South China Morning Post, November 13, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2045576/hong-kong-writers-relaunch-literary-group-face

【毛孟靜退公民黨】以香港本土身分留在議會 毛指與黨理念不同 續與民主派合作 ([Claudia Mo quits Civic Party] Continuing to serve the legislature as an independent democrat with the group Hong Kong First, Claudia Mo resigns from Civic Party due to ideological differences)
Ming Pao, November 14, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20161114/s00001/1479107115580

【誓詞風波】黨報:港生須學中國歷史 狹義排外令港走上絕途 ([Oath-taking row] State media: Hong Kong students must learn Chinese history, xenophobia in narrow sense will bring Hong Kong to a dead end)
Ming Pao, November 12, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20161112/s00001/1478908322543

Commentary (评论)

How will Donald Trump’s victory impact China and U.S.-China relations?
ChinaFile, November 11, 2016
http://www.chinafile.com/sinica-podcast/how-will-donald-trumps-victory-impact-china-and-us-china-relations

Trump’s America and Hong Kong’s oath taking crisis: How they are linked
South China Morning Post, November 13, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2044871/trumps-america-and-hong-kongs-oath-taking-crisis-how-they-are

Beijing tightens its grip in Hong Kong again
The New York Times, November 13, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/14/opinion/beijing-tightens-its-grip-in-hong-kong-again.html

历史学家怎样看孙中山? (How do historians view Sun Yat-sen?)
Deutsche Welle, November 12, 2016
http://www.dw.com/zh/历史学家怎样看孙中山/a-36372863

Related:
孫中山先生150年冥壽抽水祭 (Sun Yat-sen’s 150th birthday seriously manipulated)
InMedia HK, November 12, 2016
http://www.inmediahk.net/node/1045808

對香港未來的樂觀希望(文:董建華) (Vice Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee and former Hong Kong chief Tung Chee-hwa: Optimistic outlook of Hong Kong)
Ming Pao, November 12, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20161112/s00022/1478877025940

Friday, November 11, 2016

Access to Information (信息公开)

中国官媒继续借大选抨击美政治体制 (Chinese state media continues to use the presidential election to attack U.S. political system)
Radio Free Asia, November 10, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/zhengzhi/yf3-11102016104014.html

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

China holds elections
The Economist, November 10, 2016
http://www.economist.com/news/china/21709975-only-way-it-likes-them-china-holds-elections

Government Accountability (政府问责)

China sentences former police chief to death for sinful, cruel murder
Reuters, November 11, 2016
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-crime-idUSKBN1360BR

China, rocked by fresh blasts, jails 49 over Tianjin disaster
Radio Free Asia, November 10, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/tianjin-blast-11102016160555.html

中国与联合国:不断深化的合作 (China and the UN: Continuously deepening collaboration)
People’s Daily, November 11, 2016
http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2016/1111/c1001-28852920.html

英媒:孟宏伟领导国际刑警组织令人权团体忧虑 (British media: Vice Minister of Public Security Meng Hongwei to head Interpol, rights groups worried)
British Broadcasting Corporation, November 11, 2016
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/press_review/2016/11/161111_press_review

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

China adopts a tough cyber-security law
The Economist, November 10, 2016
http://www.economist.com/news/china/21710001-foreign-firms-are-worried-china-adopts-tough-cyber-security-law

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

Xi Jinping vows to fight separatism and any attempts to split territory from China
South China Morning Post, November 11, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2045110/xi-jinping-vows-fight-separatism-and-any-attempts-split

Hong Kong (香港)

Why did Beijing slap down Hong Kong separatists? To make a point
觸及「核心利益」,北京對香港不惜殺一儆百
The New York Times, November 10, 2016
EN: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/world/asia/china-hong-kong-independence.html
CH: http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20161110/china-hong-kong-independence/zh-hant/

8 more pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong may lose seats
又有8名香港立法會議員被指宣誓心不誠
The New York Times, November 11, 2016
EN: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/world/asia/china-hong-kong-oath.html
CH: http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20161111/china-hong-kong-oath/zh-hant/

Students protest Basic Law interpretation during visit from former secretary of justice
Hong Kong Free Press, November 10, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/11/10/students-protest-basic-law-interpretation-visit-former-secretary-justice/

彭定康月底港大談香港前途大學管治 (Former Governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten to talk about future of Hong Kong and university governance end November)
Ming Pao, November 11, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20161111/s00001/1478849533434

Hong Kong venue cancels screening of protest film, citing political concerns
The New York Times, November 11, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/world/asia/china-hong-kong-oath.html

Commentary (评论)

Thank you Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-Ching for doing exactly what I voted for you to do
Hong Kong Free Press, November 10, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/11/10/thank-you-baggio-leung-and-yau-wai-ching-for-doing-exactly-what-i-voted-for-you-to-do/

Hong Kong’s protest leaders demand self-determination
The Wall Street Journal, November 9, 2016
http://www.wsj.com/articles/hong-kongs-protest-leaders-demand-self-determination-1478721911

From local identity to the pursuit of independence: The changing face of Hong Kong localism
Hong Kong Free Press, November 11, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/11/11/from-local-identity-to-the-pursuit-of-independence-the-changing-face-of-hong-kong-localism/

How Hong Kong’s courts interpret Beijing’s interpretation of the Basic Law may yet surprise
South China Morning Post, November 9, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2044385/how-hong-kongs-courts-interpret-beijings-interpretation

Hong Kong courts should reject Beijing’s Basic Law ruling, says legal heavyweight
Hong Kong Free Press, November 11, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/11/11/hong-kong-courts-should-reject-beijings-basic-law-ruling-says-legal-heavyweight/

“An epochal change”: what a Trump presidency means for the Asia Pacific region
The Guardian, November 10, 2016
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/10/an-epochal-change-what-a-trump-presidency-means-for-the-asia-pacific-region

拒絕當權者的思維 (Reject the thinking of those in power)
InMedia HK, November 11, 2016
http://www.inmediahk.net/node/1045770

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Access to Information (信息公开)

Muzzled Chinese media frame Trump win as loss for “elite politics”
South China Morning Post, November 9, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2044389/chinas-censors-order-news-outlets-limit-coverage-us

Less censorship could make independent film productions suffer
China Film Insider, November 9, 2016
http://chinafilminsider.com/less-censorship-make-independent-film-productions-suffer/

为何要隆重纪念这位伟人,中共五代领导人如是说 (Why this giant should be commemorated grandly, according to five generations of CPC leaders)
People’s Daily, November 10, 2016
http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2016/1110/c1001-28851700.html

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Chinese activists welcome press freedom award to bloggers, rights website
Radio Free Asia, November 9, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/media-award-11092016145040.html

“No grace period” for foreign NGOs in new law: China
Reuters, November 10, 2016
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/11/10/2003658972

北京维权人士李美青出家门遭多名男子殴打 (Beijing rights defender Li Meiqing beaten up by gang of “black security guards” at her doorstep)
Radio Free Asia, November 9, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/ql2-11092016111420.html

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Chinese warehouse chief gets suspended death sentence over 2015 Tianjin blast that killed 173
South China Morning Post, November 10, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2044719/chinese-businessman-receives-suspended-death-sentence

Related:
China convicts dozens for last year's giant explosions in Tianjin
Deutsche Welle, November 9, 2016
http://www.dw.com/en/china-convicts-dozens-for-last-years-giant-explosions-in-tianjin/a-36324321

Senior Chinese public security official chosen as Interpol head: Xinhua
Reuters, November 9, 2016
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-interpol-idUSKBN1350BB

Related:
英媒:中国公安部副部长当选国际刑警组织主席 (China’s vice public security minister appointed Interpol head)
British Broadcasting Corporation, November 10, 2016
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/press_review/2016/11/161110_press_review

China announces details of elections to party congress, with poll likely to be most secretive in a decade
South China Morning Post, November 10, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2044733/china-announces-details-elections-party-congress-poll

Chinese police to extradite second fugitive from France: state media
Reuters, November 8, 2016
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-corruption-france-idUSKBN1340G1

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

What does China's new cybersecurity law mean for Chinese Internet companies?
The Diplomat, November 10, 2016
http://thediplomat.com/2016/11/what-does-chinas-new-cybersecurity-law-mean-for-chinese-internet-companies/

Hong Kong (香港)

15 lawmakers treated oath-taking as “ceremony of insults,” says China Liaison Office legal chief
Hong Kong Free Press, November 9, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/11/09/15-lawmakers-treated-oath-taking-ceremony-insults-says-china-liaison-office-legal-chief/

京官炮打司法界 評論批藉機壓低香港一制底線 (Beijing official bombs Hong Kong judicial sector, some denounce this as attempt to lower Hong Kong's bottom line of "Two Systems")
Radio France Internationale, November 10, 2016
http://trad.cn.rfi.fr/中國/20161110-京官炮打司法界-評論批藉機壓低香港一制底線

Taiwan's ruling party urges China to respect Hong Kong's democratic aspirations
Reuters, November 8, 2016
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-china-taiwan-idUSKBN1340GX

加国”港加联”团体抗议中国人大对香港基本法的解释 (Canadian group Canada Hong Kong Link protests NPC’s interpretation of Hong Kong Basic Law)
Radio Free Asia, November 9, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/zw-11092016101502.html

How a word, “Chee-na,” renewed a crisis between Beijing and Hong Kong
The New York Times, November 10, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/world/asia/china-hong-kong-oath.h tml

港特首参选人胡国兴不担心释法掀人治 吁人大“有权慎用” (Chief executive candidate Woo Kwok-hing doesn’t worry that the interpretation would turn into rule of man, calling on NPC to “carefully exercise power”)
Radio Free Asia, November 9 , 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/wsw-11092016112105.html

议员批评梁振英借人大释法激化矛盾博取连任 (Lawmakers criticize CY Leung’s manipulation of NPC law interpretation for intensifying conflicts, attempting to seek another term of office)
Radio Free Asia, November 9 , 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/cp-11092016112031.html

【回應釋法】團體周日遊行撐釋法 籲參加者小心被插贓有錢收 ([Response to NPC law interpretation] A group organizes march to support the interpretation on Sunday, reminding participants to be aware of being falsely accused for being paid)
Ming Pao, November 10, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20161110/s00001/1478753955358

Commentary (评论)

評論料美國將減少關注香港 惟北京不會放緩干預 (Commentators expect that the U.S. will pay less attention to Hong Kong, while Beijing will not lessen intervention)
Radio France Internationale, November 10, 2016
http://trad.cn.rfi.fr/中國/20161110-評論料美國將減少關注香港-惟北京不會放緩干預

Wednesday, November 09, 2016