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.

Thursday, October 18, 2018

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Xinjiang camps: China takes its defence of “re-education centres” overseas with Pakistan meeting
South China Morning Post, October 17, 2018

Translation: Our career direction is to monitor Uyghurs
China Digital Times, October 17, 2018

房峰辉被移交司法机关 (Former military chief, General Fang Fenghui, stripped of rank, transferred to military court for prosecution)
Deutsche Welle, October 16, 2018

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Chinese search giant Baidu says it cares about what AI does to society
Quartz, October 18, 2018

Google CEO says “important to explore” China project
Agence France-Presse, October 16, 2018

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

上海機場臉部辨識自助登機12秒完成安檢 組織憂當局利用資料追蹤民眾 (Shanghai airport uses facial recognition for automated check-in, human rights organizations express concern)
Ming Pao, October 18, 2018

Hong Kong (香港)

香港“明日大屿”填海计划今天引发的争议 (The controversy surrounding Hong Kong’s proposed land reclamation project)
BBC News, October 18, 2018

Related:
黃遠輝:從頭到尾不知填海1700公頃 諮詢報告會還社會公道 (Government task force on land supply: Never knew of reclamation project, consultation report to do justice to society)
Citizen News, October 16, 2018

Commentary (评论)

Interview: The plight of China’s Uyghur Muslims exposed
European Interest, October 17, 2018

Ties between African countries and China are complex. Understanding this matters
The Conversation, October 15, 2018

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Access to Justice (司法公正)

中国网红主播因“侮辱国歌”被行拘(Chinese Internet star detained for “disrespectful” version of national anthem)
The New York Times, October 17, 2018

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Taiwan to hold independence rally in challenge to Beijing
South China Morning Post, October 17, 2018

Government Accountability (政府问责)

长生生物因问题疫苗被罚91亿元人民币 (Changsheng company fined 9.1 billion yuan for problem vaccines)
Financial Times, October 17, 2018

Chinese Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily counters “pessimistic” views on trade war impact
South China Morning Post, October 17, 2018

China expels two top former generals from Communist Party for corruption
Reuters, October 16, 2018

China defends “anti-extremism” measures in Xinjiang as scrutiny mounts
Reuters, October 16, 2018

Related:
The “students” of Xinjiang: Beijing on the defensive
SupChina, October 16, 2018

China: Mass internment camps are places of punishment, not “vocational training”
Amnesty International, October 16, 2018

The history and leaders behind Xinjiang policy
Amnesty International, October 15, 2018

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Chinese search firm Baidu joins global AI ethics body
The Guardian, October 17, 2018

谷歌执行长承认正在研发中国审查版搜索引擎 (Google CEO acknowledges that its company is developing Chinese censored version of the search engine)
Radio France Internationale, October 17, 2018

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

中国外交官会见海外维吾尔人 为新疆政策辩护 (Chinese diplomat meets with overseas Uyghurs to defend Xinjiang policy)
Voice of America, October 17, 2018

Hong Kong (香港)

Group hits out at deletion of Chinese propaganda czar's comments on Hong Kong
Radio Free Asia, October 17, 2018

Related:
China propaganda chief warns Hong Kong media over “interference”: Report
Channel NewsAsia, October 1y, 2018

中宣部见港媒高层:港媒集体删改报道引发自我审查的忧虑 (Deleted/withdrawn quotes from head of the Central Propaganda Department raise concerns about self-censorship of HK media)
BBC News, October 17, 2018

大公报假新闻罕有遭到英总领事馆致函反驳 (Ta Kung Pao newspaper is accused of publishing factually inaccurate and misleading story by British Consulate General)
Radio France Internationale, October 17, 2018

香港民主派中联办抗议 要求释放王全璋、黄琦(Hong Kong democrats protest outside Liaison Office to demand release of Wang Quanzhang and Huang Qi)
Radio France Internationale, October 16, 2018

People’s Daily (Overseas) on Mallet case
China Media Project, October 16, 2018

Video: Lantau reclamation plan “no conspiracy,” says Chief Exec. Carrie Lam following mass protest
Hong Kong Free Press, October 16, 2018

Judge refuses to allow Hong Kong Occupy activist Joshua Wong to file appeal over financial damages defeat against police in handcuffs case
South China Morning Post, October 16, 2018

Commentary (评论)

China accused of mass cyber spying – but working out the truth is just the start of the problem
The Conversation, October 17, 2018

China’s new diplomacy in Europe has a name: broken porcelain
The Guardian, October 17, 2018

Religion Is “Spiritual Anesthesia”: The Ideology Behind China’s Uyghur Crackdown
The Diplomat, October 17, 2018

官媒倡导“伟大斗争” “和谐社会”已成历史? (Official media call it “great struggle”— has “harmonious society” already become history?)
Radio Free Asia, October 17, 2018

China disappearances show Beijing sets its own rules
BBC News, October 17, 2018

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Access to Justice (司法公正)

China admits to Xinjiang “training and boarding” centers in first detailed description of camps
South China Morning Post, October 16, 2018

Related:
“Safe and stable”: China defends mass internment of up to a million Muslims amid global outcry
Agence France-Presse, October 16, 2018

新疆维吾尔自治区主席雪克来提·扎克尔就新疆反恐维稳情况及开展职业技能教育培训工作答记者问 (Xinjiang chairman Shohrat Zakir briefs press on anti-terrorism efforts and vocational training camps)
Xinhua News Agency, October 16, 2018

全国律师行业党组织书记培训班在京开班 (All China Lawyers Association launches training in Beijing to strengthen Party-building work in legal profession)
Legal Daily, October 15, 2018

高墙内的劳工:中国供应链上隐藏的秘密 (China’s supply chain secret: Prison labor)
Financial Times, October 15, 2018

Access to Information (信息公开)

天津大学“本科生思想政治班主任”正式上岗:拨开成长的迷雾 (Tianjin University installs “teachers in charge of political ideology” for undergraduates)
The Paper, October 16, 2018

北京市网信办依法约谈360doc个人图书馆 (Beijing online personal library platform temporarily suspended for allowing storage of “illegal” information)
People’s Daily, October 16, 2018

Prominent Uyghur publisher arrested, under investigation
Radio Free Asia, October 15, 2018

The disciplinary failure of dignity
China Media Project, October 15, 2018

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

传黄琦狱中病重 老母盼国际社会援救 (Video: Huang Qi’s mother appeals for help from international community)
Voice of America, October 16, 2018

Translation: How I made it to Renmin University’s student blacklist
China Digital Times, October 15, 2018

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Facial recognition checks to enter a church
Bitter Winter, October 15, 2018

Related:
Liaoning intensifies crackdown on religions
Bitter Winter, October 15, 2018

Caution, cancellations, protests as concerns grow on China's Belt and Road
Voice of America, October 15, 2018

Kenyans say Chinese investment brings racism and discrimination
The New York Times, October 15, 2018

Malaysia released Uyghurs because they “did nothing wrong,” PM Mahathir Mohamad says, in move likely to strain relations with China
Reuters, October 15, 2018

Taiwan lodges protest with the United Nations for denying entry to Taiwanese reporter
Hong Kong Free Press, October 15, 2018

Former Huarong chairman facing corruption prosecution after being expelled from CPC
Reuters, October 15, 2018

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Google’s CEO says tests of censored Chinese search engine turned out great
Wired, October 15, 2018

“Made in China 2025”: How 5G could put China in charge of the wireless backbone and ahead of the pack
South China Morning Post, October 15, 2018

Related:
5G offers world’s biggest mobile market a gateway to the industrial internet
South China Morning Post, October 15, 2018

Researchers call for more humanity in artificial intelligence
Wired, October 15, 2018

Hong Kong (香港)

【涉搶手機】許智峯被警方起訴3罪 仍堅持追究政府「狗仔隊」(Legislator Ted Hui faces criminal charges over controversial “phone-snatching” incident that revealed surveillance on LegCo members, will insist on complaint against illegal interferrence by government)
Ming Pao, October 16, 2018

Related:
JUST IN: Democrat Ted Hui charged with 3 offences after allegedly snatching gov’t officer’s phone at legislature
Hong Kong Free Press, October 16, 2018

Hong Kong's government tightens grip, moves closer to China
Reuters, October 15, 2018

“Stop Political Screening”: Hongkongers in Britain protest against election ban of democrat Lau Siu-lai
Hong Kong Free Press, October 15, 2018

Hong Kong bureaucrats should not decide whether candidates can run in election – that’s a job for lawyers, says Bar Association chairman Philip Dykes
South China Morning Post, October 15, 2018

In pictures: Chinese army clean-up in Hong Kong violated garrison law, democrats say
Hong Kong Free Press, October 15, 2018

Consulate hits back after Hong Kong lawmakers compare journalist’s expulsion to UK visa denials
Hong Kong Free Press, October 15, 2018

Related:
Journalist’s visa refusal made Hong Kong “look silly,” and leader Carrie Lam wrong to say not explaining decision was accepted practice, says city’s top lawyer
South China Morning Post, October 16, 2018

Commentary (评论)

China’s cultural genocide and the conscience of nations: As China does its worst, the world must uphold the best
The Diplomat, October 16, 2018

Children caught in Xinjiang crackdown: Reunite families; End mass arbitrary detention
Human Rights Watch, October 15, 2018

China’s great leap backward
Foreign Policy, October 15, 2018