Baidu Begins Censoring "Gui Minhai" - Hong Kong Bookseller Detained in China

On January 17, 2016, the state sponsored Global Times published an article entitled “‘Missing’ HK Bookseller Turns Himself in to Mainland Police for Drunk Driving Killing of a College Girl in 2003”. Some excerpts:

One of the five missing Hong Kong booksellers has said that he returned to the Chinese mainland to turn himself in after 11 years on the run for killing a college student while driving drunk, the Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday.  

"Returning to the Chinese mainland and surrendering was my personal choice and had nothing to do with anyone else. I should shoulder my responsibility and I don't want any individual or institutions to interfere, or viciously hype up my return," Gui told Xinhua. He is currently being held in a detention center, the location of which was not mentioned.
. . . .
Mystery has been surrounding the whereabouts of Gui and 4 other booksellers. Previous reports said that Gui went missing while vacationing in Thailand in the middle of October 2015. He had sent an e-mail to his printers on October 15, asking his co-workers to get ready for a new book.

On January 19, 2016, the Hu Xijin, editor of the Global Times, published an editorial under his pen name “Shan Renping” (单仁平) entitled "Don’t Distort Publisher Case into Mainland-HK Dispute." Some excerpts:

A Xinhua News Agency investigative article on Sunday revealed the story behind Gui Minhai, one of five missing Hong Kong publishers. Gui, a China-born Swedish citizen, was involved in a fatal car accident when drunk driving, in which a female college student was killed. He was sentenced to a suspended two-year jail term, and then fled abroad. He confessed his crime to Chinese mainland authorities in October last year. He was shown on State broadcaster China Central Television on Sunday night.

His appearance soon sparked speculation that he was detained by mainland authorities because of a bookshop known for selling works that maliciously attack the mainland's political systems.

How could such a person as Gui, who was serving a suspended jail term, manage to stay in Hong Kong and conduct activities which do damage to Chinese society? After his confession, some Hongkongers intentionally exaggerated this case. But his wrongdoing, before the case was revealed,  had been intentionally ignored. Those Hongkongers deliberately pick up particular legal affairs.
. . . .
Some in the Hong Kong opposition believe that "one country, two systems" grants Hong Kong the right to confront the mainland and the central government, plus Hong Kong is the bastion of any extreme or illegal actions that would shake the mainland's political systems.

Hong Kong and the mainland should not confront each other. Anyone should not try to find a "legal space" in the Basic Law where the mainland and Hong Kong face off. The difference of judiciary systems in the two parts should not be highlighted and distorted as a crackdown on freedom in Hong Kong.

These screenshots show that on January 21, 2016, Baidu began censoring search results for two spellings of “Gui Minhai” (桂敏海 and 桂民海).

Huang An's Weibo Posts Disappear

As noted previously on this blog, on January 15, 2016, the singer Huang An (黃安) posted an announcement on his verified Sina Weibo account that Zhou Ziyu had apologized and "admitted that there is only one China." A translation of the post and additional background is available here.

On January 20, 2016, Hu Xijin, editor of the state sponsored Global Times, published an editorial using the pen name Shan Renping (单仁平) entitled “Teenage Singer’s Apology Manipulated by Forces Seeking Confrontation” (周子瑜“道歉”风波，大陆网民错几许). Some excerpts:

The fallout from Taiwan K-pop star Chou Tzu-yu's apology is still fermenting. The 16-year-old singer, who waved the Republic of China's flag on a South Korean TV show, was accused of being in favor of Taiwan independence by Huang An, a formerly well-known TV host from Taiwan. Chou's fans claimed online Chou was not a Chinese and that Taiwan was a country. These comments have triggered viral criticism from the Chinese mainland against Chou and her company, JYP Entertainment.
. . . .
Chou's scandal is essentially an entertainment matter - online public opinion giving a lesson to a singer who is regarded as having touched the political bottom line. Things would be over if Chou and her company took remedial actions. Yet, Chou's way of apology has become a political bomb. It is likely that JYP Entertainment or the apology was manipulated by politicians from the very beginning.
. . . .
Above all, mainlanders have not expressed sufficient patriotic feelings. China needs to accumulate more experience in playing the card of public opinion. For any nation, patriotism is a tool for social governance, which we should not be skeptical about.

周子瑜“道歉”事件仍在发酵。这名台湾新出道的16岁艺人上周被黄安举报早前在韩国举“中华民国”的青天白日旗，疑似她的粉丝团表示“子瑜是台湾人，并不是中国人，台湾本来就是一个国家”，遭到大陆网民的批评。由于其签约的韩国JYP公司处理失当，引起大陆网民进一步愤慨。网上指责周子瑜和JYP公司的声音响成一片。
. . . .
这本来就是一个娱乐事件，一名初出道的艺人被认为踩了政治线，网上舆论教训她一顿，她和公司低调些，或者采取恰当补救措施，也就过去了。但她的道歉方式变成了更重的政治炸弹，JYP或者是傻到家的娱乐公司，或者这场道歉从一开始就受到了政治操纵，融进了阴谋。
. . . .
总体看，大陆爱国民意释放得不是太多，而是不足。国家对外打“民意牌”的经验也需不断积累。民意、尤其是爱国民意在任何国家都是社会治理的正资源。我们切莫因具体争议而怀疑这一点。

These screenshots show that, days after Huang An published his Weibo post gloating over Zhou Ziyu's apology, all of his Weibo posts were gone.

Huang An's now-empty Weibo page is here - http://weibo.com/huangan.

Chinese Government Calls for "Measures to Ensure Global Cyberspace Governance Meshed with Chinese Opinions"

On December 30, 2015, China’s official news agency Xinhua published an article entitled “Xi Calls for Patriotism in Achieving Chinese Dream.” Some excerpts:

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for promoting patriotism to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
. . . .
Xi said the CPC is the steadiest advocate and practitioner of patriotism, calling for making patriotism as an eternal theme in education, in a bid to make it as the firm belief and spiritual prop of each Chinese individual and be carried on from generation to generation.

Advocating that patriotism must unify it with socialism, Xi said, adding that only by loving the country, the Party and socialism can patriotism be fresh and real.

The following day the state sponsored People’s Daily published an article on the front page of its Chinese language overseas print edition entitled “Face the World and Promote a Nationalist Spirit” (面向世界弘扬爱国主义精神) with the Chinese text of Xi's speech:

习近平强调，弘扬爱国主义精神，必须坚持爱国主义和社会主义相统一。我国爱国主义始终围绕着实现民族富强、人民幸福而发展，最终汇流于中国特色社会主义。祖国的命运和党的命运、社会主义的命运是密不可分的。只有坚持爱国和爱党、爱社会主义相统一，爱国主义才是鲜活的、真实的，这是当代中国爱国主义精神最重要的体现。今天我们讲爱国主义，这个道理要经常讲、反复讲。

On January 7, 2016, China’s official news agency Xinhua published an article entitled “China Vows to Make Party's Voice Strongest in Cyberspace” (全国网络宣传工作会议：让党的主张成为网络空间最强音). Some excerpts:

China's Internet regulator vowed to make the views of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) the "strongest voice in cyberspace."

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) discussed cyberspace publicity work on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a statement issued after the talks promising continued exploration and improvements to the governance of cyberspace with Chinese socialist characteristics.

It was agreed that the CPC's theories and achievements would be the mainstream opinions and main tone of China's cyberspace, and the Internet would be utilized to garner public support on the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020).
. . . .
It also called for more work to be done to improve cyberspace governance, with measures to ensure global cyberspace governance meshed with Chinese opinions and plans.

１月５日到６日在此间召开的全国网络宣传工作会议强调，２０１６年是网信工作的“创新年”，要大力推进网络宣传工作理念、内容、手段、队伍建设等全方位创新，进一步探索和完善中国特色社会主义治网之道，让党的主张成为网络空间最强音，为“十三五”时期开好局起好步提供有力网络舆论支持。
. . . .
会议要求，全国网信系统２０１６年应重点做好以下工作：深化以习近平同志为总书记的党中央治国理政新理念新思想新战略和新实践的网上宣传，让党的理论创新成果和实践成就成为网络空间高昂的主基调、主旋律。围绕中心、服务大局，加大网上正面宣传力度，营造决胜全面小康的舆论氛围。
. . . .
用中国主张、中国方案引领全球网络治理体系变革。

During Taiwan Elections Sina Weibo Begins Censoring "Taiwan"

On January 16, 2016, the state sponsored China Daily published an editorial entitled “Tsai Should Prove Sincerity About Peace Across Taiwan Straits.” Some excerpts:

Now that the Democratic Progressive Party leader Tsai Ing-wen has won Taiwan's "presidential" election, she should waste no time to prove that she is sincere in maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits. She should work to make people in Taiwan feel safe, instead of creating anxieties with her ambiguous mainland policy.
. . . .
Many differences remain between the mainland and Taiwan, not only in lifestyle and social system, but also in how and when the two sides should be reunited. But under no circumstance should the differences be used as excuses to seek Taiwan independence, which means war, as the mainland's Anti-Secession Law suggests. The bottom line shall never be tested.

Any attempt to steer the island closer to independence will be a fool's errand.

On January 17, 2016, the state sponsored Global Times published an editorial entitled “Taiwanese Choose Tsai, Not Independence.” Some excerpts:

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Tsai Ing-wen won by a landslide in Taiwan’s “presidential” elections on Saturday, and the DPP she leads captured the majority of seats in the Legislative Yuan, with the Kuomintang once again becoming an opposition party.
. . . .
The vote is not a gauge of cross-Straits relations. The DPP’s victory doesn’t mean the majority of Taiwanese support Taiwan independence. Tsai and her party are aware of this, so in her victory speech, she was evasive about the current issues between Taiwan and the mainland, only scrupulously stating that she will be engaged in a “consistent, predictable and sustainable cross-Straits relations.”
. . . .
Tsai should keep in mind that if she revisits Chen’s dangerous path to cross the red line of cross-Straits relations, she will meet a dead end. We hope Tsai can lead the DPP out of the hallucinations of Taiwan independence, and contribute to the peaceful and common development between Taiwan and the mainland.

These screenshots show that on the day of the election, Sina Weibo began censoring search results for “Taiwan General Election” (台湾大选).

These screenshots show that on the evening of January 16, Sina Weibo was in fact censoring all searches containing the word “Taiwan.” The following day Sina Weibo was no longer completely censoring all search results for "Taiwan," but was instead moderating search results when users selected “View All Search Results” (查看全部搜索结果) - in this case only one result was being shown.

Sina Weibo Starts Censoring Search Results for "Zhou Ziyu Apologizes"

Huang An's Sina Weibo post.

At 10:52 pm on January 15, 2016, the singer Huang An (黃安) posted the following on his verified Sina Weibo account:

Zhou Ziyu has finally come out and apologized! With her own mouth she admitted that there is only one China, that the two sides of the straights are of one body, and that in all ways she see herself as Chinese, and proud of it! How long have we awaited this day. Once again we've striven to bring a young child back to identify with the motherland. The people of the motherland have one again achieved a major milestone on the road of anti-Taiwan independence. Everyone reshare!

周子瑜终于出来道歉了！她亲口承认中国只有一个，海峡两岸是一体的，她始终为自己是一个中国人感到骄傲！我们终于等来这一天！我们又争取回一个认同祖国的好孩子。祖国人民再次在反台独道路上取得巨大成就。大家转起！

Link to Huang An's post: http://weibo.com/2489313225/Ddicvrhlc?type=comment#_rnd1452935618397

Zhou (Chou Tzu-yu 周子瑜) is a 16 year-old member of JYP Entertainment's South Korean pop group TWICE.

The first screenshot below shows that, shortly after midnight on January 16, “Zhou Ziyu Apologizes” (周子瑜道歉) was Number 1 on Sina Weibo’s list of “Hot Topics.” The top search result was from the verified Sina Weibo account of the “Hunan University of Arts and Sciences” (湖南文理学院微博协会) and read:

JYP ultimately issued an apology along with Zhou Ziyu, but only because its share price was plummeting, but even then over the last few days they've been brazenly cursing Chinese people on the foreign Internet as Chinese pig! jyp's errors in guiding public opinion has lead the foreign Internet,, including Korean Internet users, to undertake all kinds of slanders and attacks, and the deviation from the facts has damaged our reputation! Zhou Ziyu deleted her apology from Twitter and reposted tweets cursing pigs! We're not going to accept this muted apology

JYP公司因股价大跌才发表道歉声明和周子瑜道歉视频，然而前几天他们在外网上公然骂中国人Chinese pig！jyp的错误舆论引导，导致外网上包括韩国网民对我们中国网民进行各种污蔑攻击，事实的偏差让我们名誉受损！周子瑜把推特上的道歉视频删了还转发了骂猪的帖子！小编表示这道歉我们不接受

That post was subsequently deleted.

The second and third screenshots below show that by 11:00 am on the morning of the 16th, Sina Weibo was telling users it couldn’t find any search results for “Zhou Ziyu Apologizes.” Then a few hours later the same search returned a censorship notice.

Baidu Encyclopedia Article on "Internet Sovereignty" Disappears

On December 16, 2015, the state sponsored China Daily published an article entitled “Internet Sovereignty Should be Respected: President.”  Some excerpts:

President Xi Jinping said the international community should respect the "Internet sovereignty" of individual countries and build a "multilateral, democratic, and transparent" global Internet governance system.

"Based on the principle of mutual respect and mutual trust, the international community should increase dialogues and cooperation, reform global Internet governance, and make the cyberspace a peaceful, secure and open place," Xi said at the opening ceremony of the 2nd World Internet Conference, in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province on Wednesday, Dec 16.

Xi went on to say that the global Internet governance reform needs to be based on a principle of Internet sovereignty. "We should respect the rights of individual countries in choosing their own Internet development path, Internet governance, and Internet policies and take part in cyberspace governance on an equal basis and not push cyberspace hegemony or interfere in other countries' internal affairs or engage in or support cyberspace activities that jeopardize the national security of others."

Officials said China has been the victim of a large number of cyber attacks from Internet servers based in some developed countries, such as the United States.
. . . .
Regarding the overall management of cyberspace, Xi said there needs to be a proper balance in "freedom" and "order", and that "freedom is the end of order and order the guarantee of freedom".

"We should respect the rights of netizens in exchanging ideas and expressions, but should also build good cyberspace order that accords with the law to benefit and protect the rights of the netizens."

On the following day an Internet user updated Baidu’s Encyclopedia (“Baike” 百科, a wikipedia-like product) to include an article on “Internet Sovereignty” (互联网主权) - a variation of the exact phrasing used by Xi Jinping at Wuzhen - "网路主权," which is more directly translated as "network sovereignty."

Practically all of the article’s content came from state run media and a “white paper” produced by the PRC government. There was, however, one exception: a section entitled “Leaping Over the Wall is a Kind of International Trafficking Crime” (翻“墙”是一种国际偷渡的犯罪行为). That section read:

If you have sovereignty, then you have a balkanized net. If you have a balkanized net, you have the world. The borders of the balkanized net must be defined by "walls." The 1970's "Declaration of Principles of International Law" set forth the content of the principles of sovereignty, the heart of which is the equality of each country's sovereignty. Seeing as everyone is equal, after China advocates for its own rights on the Internet, then the United States of America shall also advocate for its rights, France and Germany, Japan and North Korea, all should have this opportunity. How does everyone divide up territory while maintaining peaceful coexistence? We know that territory can be demarcated using a Great Wall. The concept of the balkanized net discussed above, the balkanized net, may also be demarcated by the great "firewall." With a wall, the Internet has international borders, and everyone is like you don't bother me and I won't bother you, equal. Walls symbolize boundaries, and illegal behavior will be subject to international sanctions. In the future, Internet trafficking will also be attacked.

Anyone who has read this far should ask, if walls are built on the Internet, won't this mean that the country adopts a closed door policy, and the Celestial Empire will create an intranet?

This way of thinking is incorrect. It only tells half the story. The former half of that statement is wrong, the latter half of that statement is reasonable. The Internet will always be free, and information will will always be free, and creating a Internet nation is not for adopting a closed door policy, but rather for achieving information order.

People also ask, if we are not adopting a closed door policy, then why can't Google.com be accessed?

Google's inaccessibility is the result of their alienating themselves from China's Internet users. In an age when information spread unchecked and there was no sovereignty, they paid a grievous price. Now, when this kind of Internet Sovereignty is built up, and after  international Internet order is upheld, then you can access it.

How to access it? Very simple. As a Netizen, you must carry a residential identification card, and in accord with processes for citizens going abroad, fully prepare all kinds of evidentiary materials, and first go to the "Online Embassy" and file an application, which the Online Embassy will submit to Google, and after you have received Google's approval you will be able to sign on. Ha Ha. Of course, you can't have any criminal record, and if your file shows any record of hacking, the likelihood that you will be refused will be relatively high.

有了主权，就有领网，有了领网，就有边界。领网的边界需要“墙”来定。1970年的《国际法原则宣言》阐述了主权原则的内容，其中心是各国主权平等。既然大家平等嘛，中国在互联网上主张了自己的权利之后，美利坚合众国也当主张权利，法国德国意大利，日本韩国北朝鲜，也应当有这个机会。大家如何划分地盘做到和平共处呢？我们知道，领土，可以通过长城界定，前文讲了领网的概念，领网，也可以通过伟大的“防火墙”界定。有了墙，互联网上就有国际边界，大家你不烦我我不烦你，平等。墙作为边界的象征，是应该受到法律保护的。因此，翻墙是一种未经许可的违法行为，违法行为，则要受到国际制裁。网络偷渡行为，也将受到打击。

看到这里，有人该问了，在互联网上立起墙来，这不是要闭关锁国，大搞天朝局域网吗？

这思路是不正确的。只说对了一半。前半句不对，后半句有理。互联网永远是自由的，信息也是自由的，建立了互联网国家，但绝不是要闭关锁国，而是为了实现信息秩序化。

又有人问，不闭关锁国，那Google.com为啥不能访问了？

Google不能访问，那是他们自绝于中国网民。在信息泛滥，没有主权的时代，他们付出了惨重的代价。现在，建立这样一套网络主权，维护了国际网络秩序后，你就可以访问啦。

怎么访问？很简单，作为一个网民，你要带好居民身份证，按照公民出国流程，准备好各种证明材料，先到“网络大使馆”申请，网络大使馆将申请提交Google，获得Google批准后即可登录。哈哈。当然你不能有犯罪前科，若是档案中曾有黑客记录的话，遭拒的可能性那就比较大啦。

These screenshots show that the article was deleted within hours (even though Baidu continued to show it in search results for some time).

An article entitled "Network Sovereignty" (网路主权) remained available. That article did not contain the aforementioned language, and de-emphasized the idea that the concept was exclusively an invention of leaders of the Chinese Communist Party.

On December 17, 2015, the state sponsored Global Times published an article entitled “No Internet Hegemony: Xi.” Some excerpts:

Huang Rihan, a research fellow with the Maritime Silk Road Institute at Huaqiao University in Fujian Province, told the Global Times that it is necessary for China to propose a new model of Internet governance as it grows to become a "strong Internet power" and it is also part of its responsibilities as a major world power to offer new ideas in governance.

There are now two major Internet governance models, one represented by the US, which advocates so-called open and free principles, the other represented by China, which insists on cyber sovereignty, Huang said.

"China's experience is based on regulation of cyberspace activities within the rule of law," said Huang. "China insists that the security and freedom of cyberspace can only be guaranteed when order is maintained."

"We should respect Internet users' rights to exchange their ideas and express their minds, and we should also build good order in cyberspace in accordance with the law as it will help protect the legitimate rights and interests of all Internet users," Xi said Wednesday, stressing that cyberspace is not "a place beyond the rule of law."

Shen Yi, an associate professor of international studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said that cyberspace does not need hegemony or a hegemonic country, but it is in need of a system of order or regulation, which will further support Internet development and bring benefits.

"Whether some Westerners recognize it or not, China has been exploring its own path of Internet governance, which meets the demands of the development of its Internet in a market economy," Shen told the Global Times.

Such a path has enabled domestic Internet companies to grow strong, and in the meantime, international Internet giants are also eager to get a share of the Chinese market, he noted.

The more the US emphasizes its concept of "Internet freedom" and tries to bind its national interest with the Internet, said Shen, the more other countries may be forced to adopt regulations on the Internet to protect their own interests. "The Internet should become a real public sphere instead of a tool of the US," he said.

Baidu and Sina Censor References to "King Zhao" and "The Zhao Family"

On December 30, 2015, the state sponsored The Paper published an article entitled “Army Paper Provides Detailed Explanation of Xi Jinping’s Keyboard that Posted the Weibo: A Custom R&D Platform That Can Post Using a Mouse and Keyboard” (军报详解习近平键盘发微博：自主研发平台，鼠标回车键都可发).  That article cited a Weibo post on the People Liberation Army’s verified Sina Weibo account that showed what it claimed to be the computer Xi used, which had both a keyboard and mouse when Xi was not at the computer, but no mouse when Xi was at the computer.

 These screenshots show that December 30, 2015, Sina Weibo began censoring search results for “King Zhao’s Return” (赵王回车).

According to a response to the question “What is the meaning of the Current Event King Zhao’s Return?” (政治时事赵王回车是什么意思) posted on Baidu Knowledge (a Q&A product):

A few days ago the King of Zhao was on an inspection tour, and he pressed the return key, making a post on Weibo, and this became headlines in all the mainstream media.
If you can’t use the return key to post on Weibo, its because you are not a member of the family Zhao. 

前几天赵王视察时，按了一下回车键，发了一条微博，上了所有主流媒体的头条啊。
回车不能发微博的，因为你不是赵家人。

 Both the question and the answer were subsequently deleted.

On December 21, 2015, a user named “yingwenlee” posted an article on Baidu’s Encyclopedia (Baike 百科) entitled “The Zhao Family” (赵家人). Some excerpts:

The original form of "Zhao Family" was Grandpa Zhao as penned by Lu Xun, symbolizing the upper classes, which in reality was a general reference to bureaucrats, the rich and powerfull, well-placed cadres and their families and children.
. . . .
Some Internet users have analyzed this saying that China's capitalist market is a four-tiered structure: households, bankers, tycoons, and the Zhao Family.
. . . .
Behind every tycoon there is a boss, and these ultimate bosses that are bigger than the tycoons are commonly referred to "members of the Zhao family."
. . . .
On December 19, 2015, an essay entitled "Distinctly Terrifying Thoughts on the Vanke Baoneng Dispute: Barbarians at the Gate, Family Zhao Behind the Curtain" received over 100,000+ hits, and turned the focus of conversation to the "members of the Zhao family."

“赵家人”，其原型是鲁迅先生笔下的赵庄赵太爷，象征上层阶级，现实中泛指高级官僚、富豪、体制内干部以及家属子女等。
. . . .
有网友分析称，中国的资本市场是一个四层结构：散户、庄家、财阀、赵家人。
. . . .
而财阀背后，各有各的老板，这个比财阀还大的终极大老板，通常被称之为“赵家人”。
. . . .
2015年12月19日，一篇题为《细思极恐的万科宝能之争：门口的野蛮人，背后的赵家人》的文章，获得了“10万+”的点击率，把舆论焦点引向了“赵家人”。

These screenshots show that on the evening of January 4 a user named “huore520” deleted the section of the article discussing the Vanke/Baoneng article and removed all discussion of class, tycoons, and bosses. When huore520 was through editing, the article contained only references to the original Lu Xun text.

This screenshot was taken on January 4, and shows Baidu was censoring search results for “Zhao Family” (赵家人).