Arise! China: 2021

Thursday, 30 December 2021

Blinken calls for release of pro-democracy journalists after Hong Kong arrests

“A confident government that is unafraid of the truth embraces a free press,” he said in a statement.

DECEMBER 30, 2021 4:45 AM

The editor of Stand News is escorted by police officers into a van in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021. | AP Photo

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday condemned Hong Kong’s arrest of seven Stand News employees and called on China to stop “targeting” the city’s free press.

Blinken also demanded the release of the journalists and media executives detained and charged in Wednesday’s raid.

“Freedom of expression, including media freedom, and access to information provided by an independent media are critical to prosperous and secure societies. These freedoms enabled Hong Kong to flourish as a global center for finance, trade, education, and culture. By silencing independent media, PRC and local authorities undermine Hong Kong’s credibility and viability. A confident government that is unafraid of the truth embraces a free press,” Blinken said in a statement.

Hundreds of Hong Kong police officers raided the news organization’s headquarters on Wednesday, in the latest in a series of crackdowns on independent media and press freedoms in the city. Stand News, a pro-democracy news website, said later Wednesday it would shut down immediately, delete social media pages and dismiss all employees.

“Stand News’s editorial policy was to be independent and committed to safeguarding Hong Kong’s core values of democracy, human rights, freedom, the rule of law and justice,” the announcement said. “Thank you, readers, for your continued support.”

Hong Kong's media clampdown began in 2020 when the Chinese Communist Party imposed a new national security law in a bid to halt intense and sometimes violent protests. One of the city’s most well-known pro-democracy newspapers, Apple Daily, was forced to close its doors earlier this year after multiple police raids and the arrest of founder Jimmy Lai and several top editors.

Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, has yet to clarify how journalists can avoid breaking the broad yet vague national security law.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/29/blinken-hong-kong-arrest-stand-news-526260

The disinformation tactics used by China

The Chinese embassy in London has criticised the BBC following a documentary about Chinese disinformation campaigns.

By Krassi Twigg and Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring

Published

12 March 2021

Street view of riot police and protesters in Hong Kong

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

Image caption,

Facebook and Twitter removed accounts linked to China during unrest in Hong Kong in 2019

There have also recently been a series of denials from Beijing over reports into forced imprisonment of its minority Uighur population - these have included baseless accusations against media and human rights organisations.

In the latest attack, an official falsely claimed a Uighur interviewee on a BBC programme was an actress.

So what tactics does China use in the spread of misleading and false information?

Increasing anti-BBC coverage

There have been almost daily anti-BBC articles in Chinese state media since mid-February.

It follows a decision by the UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom to revoke the licence for China's state-run overseas broadcaster, CGTN.

For years, China has broadly criticised Western outlets for reports on affairs in Xinjiang and elsewhere in China, saying they should not intervene in China's "internal affairs".

But these latest attacks on Western media are a clear escalation.

Chinese domestic media outlets have praised their government for banning the BBC's World News channel, although it was only available in some international hotels and residential compounds where foreigners live.

Reports from leading outlets like China's Global Times have criticised the "Cold War" mentality when it comes to China - on topics ranging from Hong Kong, the Uighur population of Xinjiang and the Covid-19 pandemic.

When China was facing a backlash over its handling of early stages of the pandemic last year, and some US officials were floating the theory that the virus could have escaped from a Wuhan lab, CGTN started to push its own conspiracy theory.

Covid lab leak in China 'extremely unlikely' - WHO

Despite a complete lack of evidence, the station suggested the virus originated at a military base in Maryland in the US and was brought to China by American soldiers during an athletics competition.

Find out more

Listen to File on 4's The Disinformation Dragon with Krassimira Twigg and Paul Kenyon on BBC Sounds

'Wolf warriors' on social media

In recent months, China experts have noticed dozens of new and highly active official social media accounts representing Chinese embassies and leading diplomats.

This has become known as "wolf warrior" diplomacy. The best-known account belongs to Zhao Lijian from the Chinese foreign ministry.

He caused controversy in March after tweeting articles suggesting that coronavirus originated in the United States.

Composite picture of websites — Image caption,
The US and China traded unverified theories about the origins of coronavirus

Those tweets have been shared more than 40,000 times and referenced in 54 different languages, according to research from the Digital Forensic Research Lab, part of the Atlantic Council think tank.

Popular hashtags referencing the posts have made waves at home too - they've been viewed by users of Chinese social network Weibo more than 300 million times.

In December, Zhao Lijian was widely criticised for sharing a fake image of an Australian soldier killing an Afghan child, for which China refused to apologise.

'Keyboard army'

China draws on millions of citizens to monitor the internet and influence public opinion on a massive scale online. These recruits are known as the "50 cent army" - so named because of reports that they were paid 0.5 yuan per post.

This "keyboard army" has long been active on Chinese social media platforms. Its aim has been to aggressively defend and protect China's image overseas.

When tweeting in English, the messages are aimed at a Western audience, much like troll farms in Russia that sow discord.

To the unsuspecting reader, they might appear as patriotic citizens acting independently, but frequently they are taking directions from Chinese authorities.

One example is the way in which video footage of violent protests in Hong Kong in 2019 was promoted on social media via this keyboard army using terms such as "terrorism", while coverage of peaceful protests was censored.

In August 2019, Facebook and Twitter announced they had removed accounts linked to a state-backed information campaign.

Facebook said: "Although the people behind this activity attempted to conceal their identities, our investigation found links to individuals associated with the Chinese government."

Twitter identified more than 900 accounts from China. But these were only the most active components of the campaign, which the company said involved some 200,000 accounts.

Fake social media accounts

A BBC investigation in May 2020 found hundreds of fake or hijacked social media accounts promoting pro-China messages on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Some 1,200 accounts targeted people critical of how Beijing was handling the pandemic.

There was no definitive evidence tying these accounts to the Chinese government, but it did display similar characteristics to the state-backed network removed by Facebook and Twitter in 2019.

It also resembled another network dubbed "Spamouflage Dragon", which pumped out pro-China posts and attacked critics with spam, which was uncovered by the social analytics firm Graphika.

Subsequently Twitter said it had removed more than 23,000 accounts linked to China involved in a range of "manipulative and co-ordinated activities".

In response to comments made by Yang Xiaoguang, from the Chinese Embassy in the UK on the BBC Today programme, a BBC spokesman said: "We completely reject these claims and stand by our journalism. BBC News reporting in Xinjiang has been accurate and impartial - we did not use any false images and the interviewee who appeared on the BBC was not an 'actress' as claimed."

Additional reporting by Jack Goodman

Wednesday, 29 December 2021

China replaces soldiers with machinegun-carrying robots in Tibet

China is deploying machinegun-carrying robots to its western desert regions amid a standoff with India because troops are struggling with the high-altitude conditions, it has been claimed.

Chris Pleasance for MailOnline

29 Dec 2021

Dozens of unmanned vehicles capable of carrying both weapons and supplies are being sent to Tibet, Indian media reports, with the majority deployed in border regions where Chinese troops are locked into a standoff with Indian soldiers.

Vehicles include the Sharp Claw, which is mounted with a light machinegun and can be operated wirelessly, and the Mule-200, which is designed as an unmanned supply vehicle but can also be fitted with weapons.

Beijing has sent 88 Sharp Claws to Tibet, which borders India high in the Himalayas, of which 38 are deployed to the border region, Times News Now has claimed.

Some 120 Mule-200s have also been sent to Tibet, News Now reports, with a majority of them deployed to the border area.

In addition to the unmanned vehicles, China has also bolstered its forces with 70 VP-22 armoured troop transports, 47 of which are in border zones.

Another 150 Lynx all-terrain vehicles have also been sent to the border.

The Lynx is hugely versatile, and can be used to transport small numbers of troops or mounted with various weapon systems including howitzers, heavy machine guns, mortars or missile launchers.

Beijing deployed the vehicles after state media previously reported that soldiers had been fitted with exoskeleton suits to help them cope with carrying supplies at punishing altitudes.

Soldiers were given carbon-fibre exoskeletons to relieve the pressure on their legs and ankles while carrying heavy equipment and supplies 16,000ft above sea level.

Troops had been struggling because a lack of oxygen at that altitude makes loads feel heavier while soldiers also tire more easily.

'This kind of suit is particularly helpful at high altitudes,' a military expert told the Global Times in December last year.

China and India have fought an on-off conflict in their border region for decades along what is known as the 'line of control'.

The region - which is extremely dry, remote, and largely inhospitable - has little practical value beyond a few trading routes that criss-cross its deserts, but holds symbolic meaning for both sides which are keen to display dominance.

Tensions ramped up in 2020 as hand-to-hand fighting broke out between Chinese and Indian troops, with dozens killed in skirmishes fought with melee weapons including nail-studded clubs.

China accused India of provoking its troops, while India accused Beijing of attempting to re-draw the border and encroaching on its territory.

Satellite images seemed to back India's claims, showing new Chinese constructions in disputed areas.

The clashes sparked a diplomatic back-and-forth between Beijing and Delhi, with India cutting some trade ties and banning Chinese phone apps.

In June last year China began dismantling some structures in disputed zones which eased tensions, though the region remains on high alert for further clashes.

It comes against the backdrop of a wider military buildup by China that has seen it take an increasingly belligerent stance with its neighbours, especially Taiwan.

Fears that Xi Jinping may order an invasion of the island has prompted America - a close ally of Taiwan's government - to forge new alliances in the region including with India to counter-balance Beijing's growing strength.

Japan and Australia have also deepened their military ties with Washington, fearing that they may be dragged into any conflict in the region.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/china-replaces-soldiers-with-machinegun-carrying-robots-in-tibet/ar-AASeyhb

China: Swiss embassy urges media to remove scientist fake news

The Swiss embassy in China has urged Chinese media to take down articles and posts it says contain "false" news.

By Suranjana Tewari
BBC News

Published

11 August 2021

The Swiss embassy said it had to inform the Chinese public of the false news

In a Twitter post, the embassy said an alleged Swiss biologist who had been quoted in Chinese media in recent days likely did not exist.

State media outlets were among those that carried articles with comments from "Wilson Edwards" on the origins of Covid-19 and the WHO's independence.

Many outlets have since removed any reference to him.

"While we appreciate the attention on our country, the Embassy of Switzerland must unfortunately inform the Chinese public that this news is false," the Swiss embassy said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Organisations including CGTN, Shanghai Daily and Global Times had cited the so-called biologist based on his Facebook profile.

However, the Swiss embassy said the Facebook account was opened two weeks ago and only had three friends.

"It is likely that this Facebook account was not opened for social networking purposes," the Swiss embassy added.

The mission said that there was no registry of a Swiss citizen with the name "Wilson Edwards" and no academic articles under the name.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

In one article seen by the BBC before it was altered, "Wilson Edwards" is referred to as a biologist in Switzerland.

The line from the China Daily article reads: "[Wilson Edwards] said on his Facebook account: 'As a biologist, I've witnessed in consternation over the past months how the origin-tracing of Covid-19 was politicized.'"

In the altered version, all reference to Wilson Edwards were removed.

Shanghai Daily's digital platform Shine had said in a post: "A European biologist has come to the fore with a startling claim that a World Health Organization (WHO) advisory group on tracing the origins of pathogens including the virus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic, would become a "political tool".

It added that the biologist was worried about the "WHO's independence" and quotes him as saying "the US is so obsessed with attacking China on the origin-tracing issue that it is reluctant to open its eyes to the data and findings".

The Swiss embassy assured readers that it assumed the spreading of the story was done in good faith but "kindly asked" for the stories to be taken down or corrected.

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