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Showing posts from January, 2015

2014 Year in Review: Top Quotes About the Great Firewall

I didn't hear clearly which Western websites cannot be accessed in China. I have no experience using these websites, and I don't know if they are blocked or not. But I believe its possible that some websites may not be accessible. SIIO Director Lu Wei, on October 30, 2014, in response to this question from an Asahi TV reporter: “Facebook and other Western websites are inaccessible in China, why has China shut down these websites?” i Facebook has long been blocked in China and Instagram has not been available on major android markets in the mainland since July. Global Times, September 30, 2014, “Instagram Blocked” ii Net users in the Chinese mainland are experiencing one of the longest and strictest blocks on Google and associated websites, with analysts predicting that it may continue amid tensions between the US and China over cyber security. Global Times, June 17, 2014, “Google Block Set to Continue” iii Chinese authorities say they have blocked messaging

2014 Year in Review: Top Quotes About Freedom of Speech

China protects our citizens' freedom of expression and the normal rights and the interests of media organizations in accordance with law. On the other hand, media outlets need to obey China's laws and regulations. When a car breaks down on the road, perhaps we need to get off the car to see where the problem lies. And when a certain issue is raised as a problem, there must be a reason. In Chinese, we have a saying: The party which has created a problem should be the one to help resolve it [literally, “Let he who tied the bell on the tiger take it off”]. So perhaps we should look into the problem to see where the cause lies. President Xi Jingping, on November 12, 2014, responding to this question from New York Times reporter Mark Landler: “Several news organizations from the United States have had issues with residency permits in China being denied, including The New York Times. I’m wondering in the spirit of these reciprocal visa arrangements that you’ve agreed to th

2014 Year In Review: China's Internet in Five Easy Screenshots

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Source :  http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/traffic/?hl=en# Date : December 28, 2014 Background : According to Google's transparency report, its products were being disrupted in five countries: China, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Turkey. Source :  http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/traffic/disruptions/127/ Date : December 28, 2014 Background : According to Google's transparency report, access to Gmail was completely blocked beginning on December 26, 2014. Source :  https://projects.propublica.org/firewall/ Date : December 29, 2014 Background : According to ProPublica: "Every day since Nov. 17, 2014, ProPublica has been testing whether the homepages of international news organizations are accessible to browsers inside China." Source : United Airlines in-flight Wifi registration page. Date : December 3, 2014 Background : According to United Airlines, passengers are able to access in-flight Wifi services for the entire globe except for A

State Media Censors Child's Suggestion that President Xi Jinping Lose Weight

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On December 17, 2014, the Zhengzhou Evening News published a story entitled “What Would Your Child Say if You Let Him Write a Letter to Uncle Xi?” (让你孩子给习大大写信,会写啥?). Some excerpts: The author of the letter to the General Secretary was an elementary school student by the name of Niu Ziru, a fourth grader at the Best International School on Hangmu Road. . .  . During last month's APEC meeting convened in Beijing, Niu Ziru saw Uncle Xi photographed together with all the other economic leaders, "I felt that Uncle Xi carried himself like a Chairman, and did credit to his countrymen, it was just that he was a bit fat." Therefore, at the end of the letter he wrote: "Ok, so lets talk about something a bit lighter. Uncle Xi, you could stand to lose some weight. You don't have to be as thin as Obama. It would be ok to just look like Putin." 给总书记写信的小学生名叫牛孜儒,今年9岁半,现在航海路贝斯特上小学四年级。 . . . . 上个月,APEC会议在北京召开,牛孜儒从电视上看到习大大和各经济体领导人集体合影,“感觉习大大很有主席范儿,为咱国人露脸了,就是有些胖了。”所以,在信的

Global Times Claims China's Journalists "Do Not Enjoy Free Speech as Their Western Counterparts Do"

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On December 18, 2014, the state sponsored Global Times published an article entitled “ Western Supremacy Echoed in RWB Report ” (in English) and “Claims That ‘China is World Leading Jailer of Journalists’ is a Foreign Rumor” ( “中国拘禁记者全球最多”是洋谣言 ) in Chinese. The English version stated: Chinese journalists do not enjoy free speech as their Western counterparts do, but being detained or arrested by the government is certainly not the normal state of their work and life. The Chinese version stated: We do not believe that the work environment for China’s journalists is without problems, and we have a heartfelt hope that the space for expression for news media personnel can continue to expand. 我们不认为中国记者的工作环境没有问题,我们衷心希望新闻媒体人言论空间能够不断扩大。 As noted previously on this blog, just days before publishing this the Global Times published another op-ed claiming that " Online political discussions on China’s Internet are the most lively on the planet ."